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EditorI have read the article on the Diagnosis of death by Conflict of interest
Dr Oram and Dr Murphy with interest.1 I would like to congratu-
None declared.
late the authors on their good work of condensing the evidence
around the diagnosis of death. Martin Stotz*
However, I need to point out a small but important mistake that Consultant, Anaesthesia and Intensive Care
might have escaped the attention of the authors. The revised 2008 Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust
Code of Practice for the diagnosis and Confirmation of Death St Marys Hospital
by the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges states in Section 6.3 Praed Street
that the diagnosis of death by brain-stem testing should be made London W2 1NY
by competent medical practitioners . . . registered for more than UK
5 years . . . and not as the authors state registered with the *E-mail: martin.stotz@imperial.nhs.uk
General Medical Council for more than 5 years . . ..2
In my opinion, the revised phrasing of the Academy of Medical References
Royal Colleges takes into account that every doctor practising in 1. Oram J, Murphy P. Diagnosis of death. Contin Educ Anaesth Crit Care Pain

Downloaded from http://ceaccp.oxfordjournals.org/ by guest on April 24, 2014

the UK legally has to be registered with the GMC. It is a fair 2011; 11: 77 81
assumption that medical practitioners who have achieved specialist 2. Academy of Medical Royal Colleges. A Code of Practice for the Diagnosis
recognition in or outside the UK for 5 yr or more can be deemed and Confirmation of Death. London, 2008. Available from www.aomrc.org.
uk/reports.aspx
competent to be involved in brain-stem testing. This new and more
inclusive wording has the potential to save valuable time in the doi:10.1093/bjaceaccp/mkr033
diagnosis of brain-stem death. Advance Access Publication 20 August 2011

Continuing Education in Anaesthesia, Critical Care & Pain | Volume 11 Number 5 2011
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