It is not currently known how often relatives are present during brain stem death (BSD) testing. A telephone survey of a selection of UK intensive care units (ICUs) was therefore performed asking about their experience with family-witnessed BSD testing. Forty-eight ICUs participated. Relatives were allowed to witness BSD testing in 21 ICUs (44%). Despite initial concerns by some ICU staff, none had experienced any problems with the family being present during the testing procedure.
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