Thanatology: practice question

A Forensic Medicine question in the style of the NEET PG paper. Answer it first, then read why the right option is right and why each of the others is wrong.

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Forensic Medicine · Thanatology

Sample item

A comatose ventilated patient has no response to pain, absent pupillary, corneal and oculocephalic reflexes, and no respiratory effort during an apnoea test, after reversible causes have been excluded. What does this establish?

Original practice item, not a recalled exam question. Nothing here is recorded.

The answer and the reasoning

A. Brain stem death, equivalent to death of the person

Brain stem death is diagnosed after excluding reversible causes (drugs, hypothermia, metabolic disturbance) by confirming absent brainstem reflexes and apnoea despite a high carbon dioxide level. Legal criteria and certification by a board of doctors apply for organ donation.

Option by option

  • A. Brain stem death, equivalent to death of the person (correct)

    Correct. Absent brainstem reflexes and apnoea after excluding reversible causes establish brain stem death.

  • B. Deep sedation from drug effect

    Sedation would have to be excluded first and would not remove apnoea once cleared.

  • C. Locked-in syndrome

    Locked-in patients are conscious with preserved eye movements and breathing.

  • D. Persistent vegetative state

    A vegetative state retains brainstem reflexes and spontaneous breathing.

Source note: Original NextPrep sample item — pending expert review. This item is original practice material awaiting independent expert review, so confirm important facts in a standard textbook.

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Questions about this Forensic Medicine question

What is the answer to this Forensic Medicine question?

The best answer is A, Brain stem death, equivalent to death of the person. Brain stem death is diagnosed after excluding reversible causes (drugs, hypothermia, metabolic disturbance) by confirming absent brainstem reflexes and apnoea despite a high carbon dioxide level.

Why is "Deep sedation from drug effect" not the answer?

Sedation would have to be excluded first and would not remove apnoea once cleared.

Why is "Locked-in syndrome" not the answer?

Locked-in patients are conscious with preserved eye movements and breathing.

Why is "Persistent vegetative state" not the answer?

A vegetative state retains brainstem reflexes and spontaneous breathing.

What concept does this question test?

It tests Thanatology in Forensic Medicine. Legal criteria and certification by a board of doctors apply for organ donation.

How hard is this question?

We tag it as a multi-step question: it asks you to combine more than one idea. The tag is our own editorial judgement, not an official difficulty rating, so read the reason for every option, not only the answer.

How should I study Thanatology?

Learn postmortem changes with their timelines, and toxicology as poison, sign, test and antidote. Then use the flashcards and the other Forensic Medicine questions on this site to test what stuck.

Is this a real NEET PG question?

No. It is an original practice item (editorial status: sample, version 1). NextPrep does not publish recalled or leaked questions, and independent faculty review of this item has not been completed yet, so confirm important facts in a standard textbook.