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| Brain death is defined as a complete and irreversible
cessation of brain activity. Absence of apparent brain function
is not enough. Evidence of irreversibility is also required.
Brain-death is often confused with the state of vegetation.
Traditionally, death has been defined as the cessation of all
body functions, including respiration and heartbeat. Since it
became possible to revive some people after a period without
respiration, heartbeat, or other visible signs of life, as well
as to maintain respiration and blood flow artificially using
life support treatments, an alternative definition for death was
needed. In recent decades, the concept of "brain death" has
emerged. By brain-death criteria, a person can be pronounced
legally dead even if the heart continues to beat due to life
support measures. The first nation in the world to adopt the
brain death as the definition of legal de