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fastspinecho t1_jd9ioe5 wrote

Reply to comment by flyfruit__ in What happens when we die? by darsenalmex11

Yes, the rest of the body could still function.

That said, it probably wouldn't function for that long. The brain has "autonomic" functions that help maintain proper blood pressure, etc. After it's gone, the body will eventually become hemodynamically unstable and cardiac failure is pretty much inevitable. I suppose some future medical advances might one day prevent that. But really, why bother?

In practice, brain death is legal death. Hospitals will not provide life support to a dead person, unless they are an organ donor. So once brain death is diagnosed, one way or another that person will soon be in the morgue.

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flyfruit__ t1_jd9lblg wrote

Yeah, that is why I asked the question. It looks amazing to me that, if a person is brain dead, even if the brain is autonomic, the body's organs can still be preserved for as long as it can: I assume probably 3 days to one week max.

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peg72 t1_jd9zatr wrote

A friend was brain dead and lived six days after life support was withdrawn. She was in her 30s and I’m still mad her mother said no to organ donation

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rdrast t1_jdb2cel wrote

The body can go for years, if fed, and sometimes with pumped O2, even with no higher brain functions available.

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