§ 90-323. Death; determination by physician. - North Carolina Statutes

§ 90‑323.  Death;determination by physician.

The determination that a person is dead shall be made by a  physicianlicensed to practice medicine applying ordinary and accepted standards ofmedical practice. Brain death, defined as irreversible cessation of total brainfunction, may be used as a sole basis for the determination that a person hasdied, particularly when brain death occurs in the presence of artificiallymaintained respiratory and circulatory functions. This specific recognition ofbrain death as a criterion of death of the person shall not preclude the use ofother medically recognized criteria for determining whether and when a personhas died. (1979, c. 715, s.3.)