Srpski arhiv za celokupno lekarstvo 2015 Volume 143, Issue 11-12, Pages: 763-768
https://doi.org/10.2298/SARH1512763S
Full text ( 3168 KB)
Accurate completion of medical report on diagnosing death
Savić Slobodan (School of Medicine, Institute of Forensic Medicine, Belgrade)
Alempijević Đorđe (School of Medicine, Institute of Forensic Medicine, Belgrade)
Anđelić Slađana (Municipal Institute for Emergency Medical Services, Belgrade)
Diagnosing death and issuing a Death Diagnosing Form (DDF) represents an
activity that carries a great deal of public responsibility for medical
professionals of the Emergency Medical Services (EMS) and is perpetually
exposed to the control of the general public. Diagnosing death is necessary
so as to confirm true, to exclude apparent death and consequentially to avoid
burying a person alive, i.e. apparently dead. These expert-methodological
guidelines based on the most up-to-date and medically based evidence have the
goal of helping the physicians of the EMS in accurately filling out a medical
report on diagnosing death. If the outcome of applied cardiopulmonary
resuscitation measures is negative or when the person is found dead, the
physician is under obligation to diagnose death and correctly fill out the
DDF. It is also recommended to perform electrocardiography (EKG) and record
asystole in at least two leads. In the process of diagnostics and treatment,
it is a moral obligation of each Belgrade EMS physician to apply all
available achievements and knowledge of modern medicine acquired from
extensive international studies, which have been indeed the major theoretical
basis for the creation of these expert-methodological guidelines. Those
acting differently do so in accordance with their conscience and risk
professional, and even criminal sanctions.
Keywords: expert-methodological guidelines, medical report, diagnosing death