• Katsuyuki Sagishima, Kazutaka Oda, and Yoshihiro Kinoshita.
• Department of Critical Care Medicine, Kumamoto University Hospital, Kumamoto, Japan. saggy@kuh.kumamoto-u.ac.jp.
• Respir Care. 2021 May 1; 66 (5): 793797793-797.

BackgroundApnea testing is the last step of brain death assessment. This study aimed to determine whether apnea testing is safer when performed over a shorter duration.MethodsThe medical records of 200 brain-dead donors were retrospectively evaluated. All the records were anonymously registered in the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare from 1999 to 2012. The rate of [Formula: see text] increase was analyzed to calculate the duration required for apnea testing.ResultsAt baseline, body temperature and [Formula: see text] significantly affected the increase rate of [Formula: see text]. At baseline, the apnea testing durations were 4.7 min with normal body temperature and higher [Formula: see text] ([Formula: see text] 40-60 mm Hg, body temperature 36.5°C, [Formula: see text] 400 mm Hg); further, it was 3.0 min with higher body temperature and lower [Formula: see text] at baseline ([Formula: see text] 40-60 mm Hg, body temperature 38.0°C, [Formula: see text] 100 mm Hg).ConclusionsThe specific duration of apnea testing during brain death assessment may be predicted by measuring the increase rate of [Formula: see text].Copyright © 2021 by Daedalus Enterprises.

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