The 19-year-old Pedro Severino from the U-20 team of the Red Bull Bragantino, who suffered a serious accident on the Anhanguera Highway last Tuesday (4), had after presenting a cough reflection on Wednesday (5).
Neurologist Carlos Eduardo Altieri, from the Syrian-Lebanese Hospital, explains that Severino had the so-called “gag reflex”, as the type of reflex is called that prevents something from entering the throat
According to the expert, this reflex indicates the functioning of brain trunk roads, which is why the brain death protocol was interrupted.
Understand the brain death protocol
According to the neurologist, the process to decree brain death follows rigorous criteria established by the Federal Council of Medicine.
For brain death is declared, two conditions are required: coma and the lack of activity of the brain stem because of known. Exogenous poisoning, hypothermia and metabolic disorders should be excluded.
This process happens through clinical examination performed by two different doctors, one of them neurologist or neurosurgeon. Examination is required to identify the lack of cerebral electrical activity or blood flow, such as electroencephalogram, Tranascranian Doppler, angiography and cerebral scintigraphy.
The doctor reports that the reflection of the cough indicates that the brain trunk is working, as the integration roads and nuclei are located in this region. “At the time of cough, he is no longer in brain death,” added the neurologist.
* Under supervision
