- Theoretically, criteria should be the same, but significant concerns exist about the applicability, making this a very difficult area:
- The central nervous and respiratory systems are immature in neonates and young infants, leading to concerns about the applicability of brainstem reflex testing
- Anecdotal evidence exists of children who have recovered substantial neurological function despite severe insult and prolonged coma
- Guidance from the Royal Society of Paediatrics & Child Health suggests:
Children aged >2 months
Criteria used to establish death should be the same as those in adults
Children aged between 37 weeks of gestation and 2 months of age
Criteria used to establish death can be confidently used, but modifications must be applied
Children aged <37 weeks of gestation
Criteria used to establish death cannot be used, and testing should not be performed