Neuroanaesthesia & neurocritical care
Diagnostic test accuracy for cessation of circulation during death determination: a systematic review
Authors' conclusion
There is insufficient evidence that ECG, POCUS pulse check, cerebral NIRS, or POCUS cardiac motion assessment are superior or equivalent to IAP for DCC in the setting of organ donation. Isoelectric ECG is specific but can increase the time needed to determine death.
Study context
- Population
- Potential organ donors undergoing death determination by circulatory criteria (DCC)
- Participants
- 1,177 donors · 21 studies
- Comparison
- Noninvasive methods of measuring cessation of circulation vs invasive arterial blood pressure (IAP) monitoring
- Pulse palpationn = 89
- Outcome
- Diagnostic accuracy for cessation of circulation
Methodological detailsnarrative synthesis, GRADE quality assessment, Searched MEDLINE, Embase, Web of Science, Cochrane CENTRAL from inception until 27 April 2021
- Narrative synthesis
- GRADE quality assessment
- Searched MEDLINE, Embase, Web of Science, Cochrane CENTRAL from inception until 27 April 2021
Pooled result
As reported in the abstract
| Group | Sensitivity range | Specificity range | False positive for death (2 studies) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pulse palpation | 0.76-0.90 | 0.41-0.79 | |
| Electrocardiogram (ECG) | 0% [0/510] |
Sensitivity range
Pulse palpation0.76-0.90
Electrocardiogram (ECG)— not stated in the abstract
Specificity range
Pulse palpation0.41-0.79
Electrocardiogram (ECG)— not stated in the abstract
False positive for death (2 studies)
Pulse palpation— not stated in the abstract
Electrocardiogram (ECG)0% [0/510]
Parts of this Brief are withheld: the automatic checks could not confirm them against the abstract.
Original publication
Diagnostic test accuracy for cessation of circulation during death determination: a systematic review. Can J Anaesth. Published 3 May 2023. doi:10.
Composed by AI from the published abstract and checked against it. How Briefs are made →