The Brain Death Toolkit includes a variety of helpful resources and educational offerings, including instructional videos and web-based courses. It also provides a sample brain death policy and checklist, which may be used as a template for adoption at individual institutions/hospitals. We provide resources to explain the pitfalls and challenges in brain death determination, and have also included Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ’s), both for medical practitioners and the general public.

This content was developed by the NCS Brain Death Task Force as an educational tool and not as a guideline or a policy. The principles of this content are based on the AAN guideline which are generally accepted by the NCS as valid and appropriate. Practitioners should refer to local ordinances that apply to the diagnosis of death in the regions in which they practice.

Copyright 2014 Neurocritical Care Society, Updated 2017

If you are interested in obtaining certification in brain death determination, please explore the brand new NCS Brain Death Determination Course. Launched in 2019, this course aims to standardize the process of brain death determination throughout the world. Click here to learn more! 


Please click here to view the NCS Legal Disclaimer for the Brain Death Toolkit.