Thursday, August 28, 2014

Q: How to perform oculocephalic and oculovestibular reflex testing as one of the determinant of brain death?

Answer: 

Oculocephalic reflex: First of call ensure the integrity of the cervical spine. Rotate briskly the head horizontally and vertically. There should be no movement of the eyes relative to head movement.

The oculovestibular reflex (caloric testing): First confirm the patency of the external auditory canal.  Elevate the head to 30 degrees. Irrigate each external auditory canal with approximately 50 ml of ice water. Movement of the eyes should be absent during 1 minute of observation. Both sides should be tested, with an interval of several minutes.

No comments:

Post a Comment