Reviewing Death Confirmation Procedures - Osce Revision With Dr Gill

Death Confirmation Steps - Clinical Skills OSCE Revision - Dr Gill
Death confirmation is often tricky when it comes up as a clinical skills OSCE, especially as we tend to spend our time revising how to find what it wrong with people to treat them
HOWEVER medical school is more than just treating people, it is also about preparing for life as a working doctor, certainly in the first few years on the wards confirming death is something you WILL have to do with regretable regularity
Verifying and confirming death is essential to work for the doctor, but each country will have its own slightly different legal framework. This video reviews how to confirm death in the UK
#drgill #clinicalskills #death
You can now consult via video or in person with Dr Gill at Dr Finlay’s Private Practice - www.drfinlays.co.uk/services/...
00:00 - Introduction
01:10 - Legal Aspects of Verifying Death in the UK
03:12 - Four Features of Confirmed Death
03:55 - Communication Skills in Verifying Death
05:29 - Patient Verification Process
06:59 - Initial Patient Response Check
07:22 - Checking Pupillary Response
08:00 - Confirming Lack of Pulse
09:05 - Listening for Heart and Breath Sounds
11:42 - Final Checks for Pacemaker Presence
12:02 - Documentation of Death Verification
12:34 - Summary of Examination Findings
13:20 - Additional Skills in ITU Setting

[@jtcb.t]

Shoutout to the guy on the bed. Outstanding performance

[@DrJamesGill]

Atharva is nothing if not a great sport!

[@TimStamper89]

I hear he went method...

[@alandrahartmann6437]

You could say he’s killing it…

[@syeda.hannan7645]

His acting is to die for

[@joaolucasjuliodepaula1971]

Plot twist: he actually died to do a better acting

[@feminico2613]

props to the guy who had to die for this video. The world needs more professionals like him with that kind of dedication.

[@DROGOC0P]

I hear the doctor killed him. dont quote me on that though

[@BruceTea]

@@DROGOC0P naah, they swore an oath

[@ESKATEUK]

The fact this guy gave his life for this video is incredible. Mad respect

[@iamvkfan18]

The fuk

[@kmcg959]

Really appreciate the warning at the beginning, but this actually brings me a great sense of calm and reassurance. I lost my mum about three years ago now (feels more recent) and the respect and professionalism shown here actually strangely makes me feel more comforted to know that she was taken care of at the end, because she passed before any of us could be there. The respect doctors and healthcare workers (and those in the funeral industry) show to every person is wonderful. I know the NHS doesn't always get things right with every case but this reassures me.

[@lucajack007]

:/

[@guesswhat-chickenbutt]

Sorry for your loss friend. I hope this new year can bring peace to all of us.

[@imnotusingmyrealname4566]

For me the warning has served as a reminder to be honest with myself about my mental health and to not take other people's flawed assessments as fact. I will ask my new psychiatrist for a hospitalization as my condition has worsened drastically.

[@DrJamesGill]

I’m sorry you are struggling at the moment. But I hope that you are able to get the care you need - good luck 😊

[@imnotusingmyrealname4566]

@@DrJamesGill Thank you!

[@samanthasavage9013]

Let me tell everyone who may have to do this one day, as an RN who has had to confirm death, those are the longest minutes of your life, all of the family is watching you, you may be crazy busy, you may be having the worst day- but I promise you aren’t having as bad of a day as the family in that room. Take a few extra minutes before you run out to confirm that the family is ok, and that you put the patients blankets/shirt back on. It preserves dignity and provides comfort to the family, who will often remain bedside post expiration for a while. Our care also does not end with death, for example we do a post mortem wash of patients. You can ask the families if they wish to help at this stage, it often fosters feelings of closure and closeness, especially for people who’s love language is acts of service.

[@zzgigs]

This this this! Especially for babies who are gone too soon. 🤍

[@theoboegoddess]

Thanks for your empathy. It’s something I was so grateful for when my father died. The healthcare staff matters so much to us. Your kindness means a lot

[@samanthasavage9013]

@@theoboegoddess I’m so glad you had healthcare staff that was good, and made that time in your life even slightly more tolerable! It hurts when we hear stories of less then stellar experiences that give the profession a bad name.

[@coxnevin]

Tell them "they did everything right" someone told me that once and it helped so much, for some reason even if we had no part whatsoever in a death we as humans will naturally find every reason to blame ourselves.

[@bexgrant4071]

I imagine this is not an easy thing to do, but I'm glad that it is done with dignity and respect as you have shown here. Thanks Dr. Gill - very informative - my neighbour is a hospice nurse so this is an interesting perspective to see.

[@DrJamesGill]

Now that is a tough job. But it’s also the wonderful thing about medicine. There is a spot for everyone, especially when it appears specialties are diametrically opposed 😊

[@CommanderBalok]

Mom went into a hospice near the end of her life. She actually improved and left (dying two years later). But I remember how wonderfully they cared for her, and for us, her family.

[@Butterfly1025A]

I work in a nursing home and have watched my nurses verify deaths several times. One interesting thing many of those deaths have in common is difficulty confirming the stopping of breathing and heartbeat. Most of our patients are given morphine to manage pain in their last days; morphine can drastically slow and weaken both respirations and heartbeat. With little old people, that slowing and weakening can be _incredibly_ drastic. Once, my nurse took three minutes sitting with her stethoscope before finally declaring the patient still alive, though the patient did ultimately pass less than an hour later. Definitely one of the most difficult things a nurse in long-term care has to do!

[@Michaelthekiwi]

My father died last year after a long illness, while it was expected it also happened very suddenly one night. The rest home hospital nurses confirmed death had occurred and called me. It's nice to see this demonstrated as they had always been very caring and professional while helping my father, this would have been the final act of care for him.

[@suzieq2268]

The mention of finding a pacemaker is important. Some pacemakers have a defibrillator built within it. Once death is confirmed, I understand a strong magnet is held over the pacemaker/defibrillator in order to make it stop trying to restart the heart ❤ Not all pacemakers have defibrillators which would then make the need of a strong magnet unnecessary.

[@Thegothhalfling]

Another big reason doctors/ funeral directors do this (at least in the US) is because they can actually explode in a retort or cremation machine.

[@thomasdalton1508]

@@Thegothhalfling I think they remove it prior to cremation. I don't think just disabling it with a magnet would stop it exploding.

[@VyewVyew]

Other way around, the magnet has to go on before the patient actually dies otherwise it would start shocking while the patient is dying. Most defibrillators only give 6 shock attempts though (I had to review the ICD interrogation record of a patient who died unexpectedly very shortly after I saw him and he was transferred to a another ward.)

[@thomasdalton1508]

@@VyewVyew That's obviously only the case if the patient has opted for a DNR.

[@nricardoe]

I have to say that I'm an engineer, nothing related with medicine, but Dr Gill makes every topic so interesting, that I watched the other exam videos, superb work Dr and my congratulations, your videos reaches people like me, not medicine but intestedoin it. Congrats from Colombia!

[@AL-jo2vp]

My dad died in 2019 of lung cancer. I remember watching his last breath and then going and getting the doctor to verify death . I don't remember them doing quite so much but they probably did. This video does make me relive it and it was traumatic (I couldn't get his eyes to shut so we left him staring at the ceiling which was horrible) , but it's also still interesting from a medical perspective. It will happen to us all eventually!

[@Wojtek_Ch]

When my pops passed I was there too. Prolly shouldn't unplug his life support to free the socket so I could power up and play my PS4 but what's done is done.

[@pedrolopes3542]

Please don't say that.

[@AL-jo2vp]

@@Wojtek_Ch edgy

[@pearlcnrd]

My mum passed from breast cancer back in june, the only advice I would give to people is to research early signs of death so that the person passing away is not scared. Watching medical tv shows is something beyond difficult now because of just how accurate they are, I did not even realise they were triggers until I carried on watching one and the sounds of ribs cracking during cpr, the confused murmuring of patients were exactly the same that it had me in tears for 3 hours. I only remember the emt's checking her pulse and I ran to my room i couldnt watch it, and I still struggle to make sense of it now that I will never see her again.

[@VyewVyew]

Every doctor verifies death slightly differently but hit all the same legal criteria. Personally I palpate the central pulse AND ascultate both heart and breath sounds simultaneously for a combined 3 minutes so I would look like I'm doing slightly less steps than Dr Gill. And yeah the eye opening thing is a weird one. One time I verified a patient who I had been taking care of for some weeks and I forgot that he also sleeps with his eyes open anyway (extremely bizarre) so every time I tried to close his eyes it didn't work and his wife reminded me not to bother

[@starfishgurl1984]

When my uncle dropped dead suddenly mid conversation at work 4 years ago and wasn’t able to be revived at the hospital my dad was told that the paramedics did everything they could and then a doctor worked on him with the assistance of a nurse far longer than was probably necessary and they even had a chaplain perform last rights on him in the process and as sudden and shocking and traumatic as that was to experience it was very comforting knowing that they did everything they could for him and treated him so well in his final moments. It’s nice to see the confirmation process and how it’s gone about because for me it’s cathartic in processing his death which initially I didn’t understand due to shock and took some time to truly sink in. Thank you so much for sharing this!

[@truthisreal.]

I can relate. My sister suffered a cardiac arrest at the age of 34. She went into the ER bc of a high fever from strep throat and never left the hospital. The doctors worked on her for 14 minutes. 14 minutes to bring her back. Unfortunately she lived 4 years in a persistent vegetative state before she passed just last November. It always brought me comfort knowing they didn’t want to give up on her and let her go even though my sister was already long gone. They cared enough to hope for a miracle and sometimes things like that are the only good things you can take from a situation like that.

[@johnloverman]

what the hell this is so traumatic....sorry for both of you guys losses I hope you are able to heal

[@matthewmacdonaldchannel1]

The content warning is massively appreciated, Dr. Gill. I love your content, but I was nervous about watching this. Thankfully, you were respectful and empathic, as always, and I learned a lot. Happy holidays to you and yours.

[@96MasterOfPuppets96]

Nervous about watching an educational video about something that has happened and will happen to every single human in history?

[@ecyor0]

​@@96MasterOfPuppets96and yet something that virtually none of us witness firsthand

[@DrJamesGill]

I think it’s important to appreciate that people can be nervous about anything, and we can try to be aware of that. My nephew gets anxious about crossing brambles, but it doesn’t make his nervousness any less real than my dislike to being trapped - eg rollercoasters or planes

[@domself9611]

I find this very comforting, my dear Dad died suddenly 2 years ago, my Mum phoned me 3 or so hours after he died (I was at work,I'm a postman and was busy) She didn't know what was done to him after he passed as obviously she was in shock as she had just lost her life partner of 50 years. So thank you for uploading this,as I know Dad was treated with dignity after he died. x

[@grf15]

I learn something interesting from every video. I would never have guessed that a family member would choose to remain in the room while the doctor confirmed death. I'd want to be a million miles away, but appreciate the fact that Dr. Gill gives the family the option to remain or leave.

[@DrJamesGill]

Everyone processes grief differently. We can only support the families needs

[@Dausuul]

I was with my mother when she died (I was the one who called the nurses to confirm), and I absolutely would not have wanted to leave the room. I was glad I was able to stay and see her through those last moments.

[@nathanfugate8210]

When my wife died from organ failure due to Leukemia, I stayed alone with her body for 30 minutes until the doctor came and did this. I stayed through all of it, and only left when he did.

[@DrJamesGill]

I’m so sorry to hear what you’ve been through. I’m so genuinely sorry if this video has caused pain

[@nathanfugate8210]

@@DrJamesGill I am fine. No harm done. In fact, remaining with her through that time after her death was kind of the beginning of the long, hard road to healing. That process never really ends, but I am so very glad I did it.

[@dingle1908]

Fascinating to see how doctors do it in hospitals, our process in the Ambulance Service is similar but has some differences; we'll almost always take a 4 lead ECG to verify asystole since we always have the monitor with us anyway. The way one speaks to the patient's family during and after the exam can make all the difference, and compassionate professionalism is an essential part of verifying death in my opinion. I hope you'll forgive an anecdote. We were called first thing in the morning to an elderly gentleman who had been found not breathing by his wife of over 60 years. We found him in bed, cold and rigored, having clearly died several hours previously in his sleep, I spoke to his wife, who I think already knew what had happened, and her biggest concern was that she had wasted our time. Nonsense of course, we made her a cup of tea and sat and discussed him and his life together while she made a few phone calls and waited until her family arrived. The bit that I have never forgotten was his pose in death; he had died cuddled into his wife, with his arm draped over her and body formed to hers, and the rigor mortis preserved the peaceful serenity of his passing for me to see. I felt great joy at having witnessed a love that had endured so many years, but also a sadness at having been the one to put an official end to it. We occupy a fleeting but unique position in the lives of the families left behind, and I think it's important that we treat that with the reverence it deserves.

[@DrJamesGill]

Interesting about the ECG, I’d almost consider that to over the top - that an incredibly heart warming yet tear inducing story Thank you for sharing it - I think. Makes me happy-sad if you understand me

[@Lunatik21]

I have not seen or read about this in my medical training so far, so I greatly appreciate seeing and learning about this. Thank you for making this learning moment!

[@momtomtse]

Handled the topic with respect, like the professional you are. Thank you.

[@zzgigs]

My daughter died in my arms a year ago, and her doctor was kind and let me hear her heartbeat before she died. I bought a stethoscope later on to remember that experience and found this channel while trying to learn how to use it. I will never forget seeing her vitals decline and watching my own child slowly slip away, despite how hard she was fighting for life. I had only held her for two hours, carried her for five months. Those memories will never fade. Hold your people close 🤍 Love them with all you've got.

[@DrJamesGill]

I’m so sorry to hear of your loss. I can’t imagine how difficult it was. Thank you for sharing. Maybe it will help others with their pain

[@catherinebisset72671]

Informative and very sensitively handled. I've watched loads of your videos and you are clearly an outstanding medical professional.

[@blakecurry3880]

He's finally killed a man to show us the next lesson. Truly a master class experience!

[@taylormcmillan9071]

As a care home worker ive sadly seen this process carried out many times before. Thanks Dr Gill it's interesting to finally learn the purpose and reasoning behind each step of the verification

[@hostiliscivitas]

Dr Gill is always dead on!

[@PrinceFiles]

Pun intended?

[@DrJamesGill]

😂😂😂

[@lindahird6586]

Thanks James, very useful for junior doctors & nurses who are allowed to verify death such as those I work with in the Hospice setting 👍🏻

[@DrJamesGill]

Very welcome 😊

[@ConkerKing]

'Hello, my name's Dr Gill..... Are you dead ?'

[@javiTests]

I'm a Community First Responder in England and I've had a couple of patients that didn't make it, sadly. In both cases paramedics did exactly what has been shown in this video plus temperature check (until the thermometer read "LO") and a 4-lead ECG. In one of the patients the ECG still showed some activity but we were explained by them that the small electric activity was incompatible with life. One patient had signed a "DNR" form, so when it happened we just waited to confirm the death and on the other one we were doing CPR for more than half an hour, but it was clear it was going nowhere, so all paramedics at scene (4 plus an ambulance LOM) decided to stop at some point.

[@demolitiondun]

i really love this video. your calming voice and the way you explain things had my full attention. i feel like i learned so much watching this!

[@user-yd4nk4lm6s]

The fact that my father has done this countless times and comes home calm as can be is crazy to me. I couldn’t.

[@ducati.hottie]

I found this video not only very informative but also incredibly relaxing. The doctor's voice is so soothing.

[@milymaj]

Great video! As add-on: on forensic medicine classes they told us that you don't need to search for apnea and heart sounds when you have a cetrain signs of death, such as livores mortis, rigor mortis or putrefactio. Also nobody is death until is warm and dead.

[@DrJamesGill]

Very true. However we need to start with that training with medics

[@VyewVyew]

In hospital deaths usually as the on-call doctor I get there within 30 minutes therefore the patient is still warm and does not have those signs. In a few cases I have been called by the nurses to verify a patient who still has a pulse but has stopped breathing. I give those patients a few more minutes until they have no central pulse.

[@sammuslu2992]

I'm not even a medical student (I'm a bus driver 😄)but I love watching your videos,so educational 👍🏼

[@vintageblackcat]

Same and I'm a crazy cat lady

[@barrahart]

I'm not a medical practitioner, just a grateful learner of stuff. Thanks for this.

[@jrawlins5246]

I performed this examination on myself and I'm saddened to report...Dead.

[@DrJamesGill]

Your corpse has impressive typing skills 💀

[@FaTaLthe13th]

Great video ! I’m a paramedic and they never told us to check for a pacemaker and I would like to learn the reason. Thanks doc !

[@DrJamesGill]

We check for the pace makers as they need to be deactivated, and then subsequently removed as in cremation they explode

[@gold_hev_suit]

i only just realized that you did did see pupils dilate, feel a pulse, and hear his heart and lungs. while watching i never even considered it. you both did such a great job!

[@DrJamesGill]

👍

[@zerogee768]

So informative and enjoyable to watch. Thanks for all your hard work Dr. Gill 👍🙂

[@pizzaguy9080]

Great video as always, Dr. Gill

[@rageagainstthebath]

The first minute of the video and it already deserves a like.

[@TheFrenchMansControl]

Fun fact: Verifying death and verifying deaf is the same exam. You shout as loudly as you can at the patient whilst observing them for a response. If they twitch, the doctor will then slap them for wasting his or her time.

[@gabrielesimionato1210]

Actually, the patient could be under anesthesia.

[@jaydoggy9043]

Acctually lol'd

[@seyara1]

An observation on the bowel sounds comment...my Dad and Uncle were sitting with my grandfather shortly after he died suddenly at home (we are Irish so he was kept home all that first night to wake him) when suddenly he passed wind...loudly. Well as you can imagine my Dad got such a fright he almost passed away himself!

[@DrJamesGill]

The gas can also go the other way, esp when moving a body, and it can sound like a groan

[@suzieq2268]

@@DrJamesGill My father passed away with home care hospice. My siblings and I cared for him until the hospice nurse arrived, and then a few hours later the funeral home came. I gave my father one last squeeze of a hug before they removed him from his bed, and I heard my father belch. We had continued to speak with our father long after he passed, so, it seemed natural to say " oh, excuse you." We all chuckled🌻

[@seyara1]

@@DrJamesGill Well that sounds terrifying 😱

[@lavenderasmr1541]

Not me saving this video in my favorite asmr videos list... Your voice is heavenly

[@benfuller7650]

The ASMR is strong with this vid, like this is sleepy time stuff, a little morbid but very informative. Cutos Dr Gill

[@KH-nt7ej]

I am a home care nurse here in Canada. I just had to do this yesterday as a patient of mine passed at home. Just as she wanted to. Her family watched as the exam was conducted. They were reassured by the gentle nature of the exam and the care their mother received. Some of my colleagues don't wish to pronounce death at home. Which I completely understand.

[@cleocatra9324]

This is interesting to me as most of us modern people may never have seen or touched a dead body. We generally leave it to funeral homes… last week we had to put down my beloved cat and he felt so different after death than when alive. As always I appreciate the dignity you give the subject of your videos.

[@allie6160]

This is super interesting as someone studying to go into healthcare! Also, not to detract from an important topic but you look like Dr. House without the medical malpractice.

[@edenlev4593]

I am a medical student from Israel. Beyond how your videos are known, as relaxing. I find them useful. It helps me a lot with English and to get used to medical speech in English. I have been accepted to a medical program abroad next year, and your explanations are really good and understandable.

[@DrJamesGill]

That’s wonderful to hear! Where will you be studying?

[@edenlev4593]

@@DrJamesGill In the United States in New York for starters. I really hope to also experience in the UK in the future. I am also practicing medical speech in English already in Israel, because I want to gain confidence in front of different types of patients and accents. I usually watch medical guides in English. Yours are great and I understand a lot of your explanations.

[@Igarappappa]

Grats!

[@Jammaster1972]

In this case, the patient was lulled into a comatose state whilst listening to Dr. James Gill's soothingly calm voice.

[@panzerschreck5159]

As a former police officer (in the US) I would have to respond to deceased persons calls and would usually be first on scene. We often used many of these techniques to verify death. I’m not a medical professional by any means but we did as much as we could to verify the subject’s status prior to the fire department’s arrival so we could quickly get the right treatment ready or get the proper people notified in the event death was confirmed

[@DrJamesGill]

Absolutely this is why it is vital other individuals can verify death - police in the uk can as well I think. Why is the fire department involved in the US?

[@johndunlap1211]

Greetings, Dr. Gill. In many locations in the US, the paramedics belong to the fire department.

[@tanksoldier]

@@DrJamesGill Fire responds to virtually all medical calls in the US. Many firefighters are EMTs or Paramedics, and the medical gear on fire engines is very similar to what is available in an ambulance. The ambulance service is often part of the fire department, or co-located with it, or when separate the fire department is often larger with more stations and can reach the scene more quickly, and even when none of that is true it’s often useful to have 4-5 extra people on hand to help with lifts and transport.

[@macdadstromboli2762]

@@DrJamesGill A long time ago, my dad had a buddy who passed away due to heart attack while he was sleeping. The individual was of large size, (430 lbs or about 205 to 210 kg) and the fire department was called to bring in a special crane to lift him up and out through his bedroom window. The man was a hard alcoholic with the whiskey. This event happened in 1992. But that is just one example to answer your question. There are many other reasons.

[@kerrijansson2919]

@@DrJamesGill Like others said, the fire departments here in the US (I'm in the US) are also emergency service departments. Many fire departments have their own ambulances, and once a 911 call is placed, the 911 dispatcher sends both the fire trucks and ambulances to the location. One of my favorite telly shows is 9-1-1 and on the show two of the firefighters are also EMTs. It's more convenient this way as most 911 calls are related to fires and car accidents. You need both the firefighters and EMTs for these - the firefighters have the exact tools needed to rescue people from car accidents, and the fire department EMTs can provide treatment and emergency transport on the spot.

[@joshuaeli2789]

Dr. Gill's videos are to die for!

[@DrJamesGill]

He’s only pretending to be dead!

[@alandrahartmann6437]

I see what you did there

[@northernirishasmr4481]

I’m not sure about that Joshua. Can you verify that?

[@GeneSavage]

Did you mean this to be ASMR-friendly? You have a wonderful speaking voice. Learning something new is the process is a bonus.

[@daniloresende7293]

Dr. Gill can stand so perfectly still I thought the video was paused

[@bottledteardrops8444]

Whilst performing last offices I would always talk to the patient throughout telling them what I was doing such as "I just need to move your arm" etc it was a very peaceful respectful process.

[@gracie1312]

Yeah me too, and still referring to them as Mr or Miss whomever. The country I worked in would also always open the window after a death so the person's soul would have a 'way' to heaven. Regardless of my beliefs, I always appreciated our mutual respect of the person and thier body

[@dd11111]

This was facinating!

[@nickcarson0404]

Dr gill always delivers with the asmr.but i never thought hes hit the mark witha death video

[@albertdallas]

Dr Gill, do you do any sports? You give off climber vibes, very thorough and precise with long limbs!

[@srbond]

The ethics and respect of Dr. Gil are beyond everything i've ever seen anywhere. Outstanding video as always.

[@lewishorsman2219]

Hello! I’m Dr. James Gi…zzzzzzzzzzzz The asmr on your stuff knocks me out faster than Tyson ever could 😅

[@lillastrobel5792]

I really miss the part when he introduces himself to the patient, "Hello, my name is Dr Gill, can you confirm your name and date of death?"😆

[@DrJamesGill]

I’m sure normal service will be resumed shortly!

[@lukaimedashvili270]

Patient: **silence** The Doctor: Excellent! ....ok sorry, that was bleak

[@meagangilley154]

This is really interesting!

[@khfan4492]

Awesome video

[@kevini4295]

I wish Dr Gill practiced here in the US. He's obviously an amazing physician.

[@DrJamesGill]

Far from it. But I do try to be thorough 😊

[@stepheng7325]

I made the mistake of trying to watch this while grieving my dad and when it was still fresh in my head, I thoroughly enjoy ur videos Dr Gill, 3 years on and I'm giving this video another try :)

[@lenzi1982]

thumbnail caught me off guard with the "death exam" LMAO

[@crapparc]

I am not in healthcare but this is such an educational video that I almost want to emigrate so dr. Gill can be my doctor. It's been a few years since I lost one of my own loved ones so the warning was also welcome. Also, dr. Gill, what do you write down if you weren't in the room when death occurred? The time that you determine life us extinct?

[@bigstinky2246]

i immeadiatly tried to see him breathing i couldn't. good job youve bested professional actors

[@TheDragonSylvia]

I wish the staff in the ICU where my mom passed had been even half this respectful. I asked a nurse if we could discuss her condition out in the hallway (she was alive but unconscious.) The woman was visibly irritated, told me she definitely couldn't understand us, then went out of her way to talk about my mom directly over top of her every time she came in the room to administer care.

[@aarontompkins8505]

Hello Dr Gill, this may seem a silly question, but have you ever been in the process of verifying a death, and found the patient was still alive? I ask because I assume from the health care worker’s point of view it’s often “visually obvious” when someone has passed, but I’m curious if “surprises” ever occur. Apologies if this comes across as an insensitive question.

[@DrJamesGill]

Unfortunately I have been in that situation. Maybe it’s something for a Q&A video one day ?

[@tc-3]

@@DrJamesGill Firstly, thank you so much for the valuable content you provide. I am not a medical student, but am deeply interested in everything concerning medicine. Secondly, I would like to have an answer to the gentleman's question.

[@jmantruth]

@@DrJamesGill Awesome that you replied to this.

[@VyewVyew]

In a few cases I have been called by the nurses to verify a patient who still has a pulse but has stopped breathing. I give those patients a few more minutes until they have no central pulse. Have yet to been called for a living patient who is both still breathing very slowly normally (i.e. not agonal) and has a very slow and weak pulse. Have gone to medical emergency calls where the patient was already agonal breathing by the time I got there. Verified on the spot after the pulse and the agonal breathing stopped.

[@jimkreider9997]

I try to watch all of Dr. Gill's videos. They are really informative. It was interesting what you said since I have 45/40 blockage in both of my carotid arteries. IF the patient was verified as deceased and for some unreason they were not, how would the embalming process work. Would it be caught at that time.

[@leonstevens1382]

Dr. gill this must be the most macabre of your videos. You have often entered my ASMR dreams, but now you may enter my nightmares.

[@FULLMETALCOUCH]

Got deep into a suggested video rabbit hole and ended up here. Comfy video to fall asleep to.

[@lyndondary]

I was going to make a joke about how dead the patient was, or something along those lines, given how funny ASMR comments sections get, but then I actually read the comments section. It's moving to see how many people were touched by this. Kudos to Dr. Gill and I'll just shut up now.

[@DrJamesGill]

I’m honestly surprised how open and the astonishing level of personal stories this video has allows people to share It’s been very humbling

[@milleniumsword1558]

Huh. I mean it makes sense that its part of the Curriculum. Just didnt expect it.

[@DrJamesGill]

Honestly it wasn’t on the top of my head, but it was a request, and made sense

[@xxjohnnyred6247]

Glad to understand.

[@mkp3824]

He did a great job playing dead! Good video.

[@soflyprod]

Fell asleep to some ASMR playlist....woke up to this....

[@vsboy2577]

This was a very interesting video.

[@DrJamesGill]

👍

[@sittingduck4771]

This phrase "life has been extinguished in the patient" provides dignity and profound respect to the deceased in such a elegant manner. Absolutely Bri'ish 🧐

[@seyara1]

Hmm, very interesting. I've unfortunately been in the room with a family member that passed away on more than one occasion and I don't recall the doctor's examination being even half as thorough as this!

[@nhlhockeyman8]

Welcome to America. Lol

[@seyara1]

@@nhlhockeyman8 it must be more widespread than that lol because I'm in Ireland!

[@gracie1312]

Doctor Gill, you knock me dead every time😍

[@susanmooney3415]

Very informative.

[@fabrinirossi5042]

Best ASMR Channel without be an ASMR Channel.

[@muserweaver]

Press F to pay respects

[@gabrielesimionato1210]

F

[@josmeff8901]

6:59 " Hello Mr Johnson can you hear me ?" Mr Johnson rising up like Lloyd Christmas "ooooooooohhhhhhhhh" in that restaurant scene in Dumb & Dumber 😂😂

[@mekmekare]

I come for the ASMR, and it is always a really nice experience every time due to the relaxation and teaching provided :)

[@T1ttyLedz]

I feel I'd fall asleep doing this (being the "dead" body) The warning makes it clear you are amazing!

[@samir5118]

Thank you doctor

[@DrJamesGill]

You are welcome. I hope it was useful

[@samir5118]

@@DrJamesGill Do you have any doubt about that?

[@tomomi5147]

Okay this is VERY SAD to confirm someone's death, but please hear me out. Thank you Dr.Gill for this video, I have always wanted to know how to check if someone is still with us. This might sounds bad, but we all know we can't live forever, death will come for everyone of us, that's the circle of life. It is always sad when someone leave this world, it's also very important to pay enough respect for this person, the body, the family who lost the loved one. But from the other side, death can be also interesting. When we think about our body functions when we are alive, it's very surprising how many things is being done in the process. But the same thing happens when we die. From biological and medical point, our body can be even more interesting after death. My wish is to become a mortician one day, so this video is not really needed in my future job of course, but it's still really eye opening how small things can change everything. One more time, thank you so much! 😊🙏

[@lymasalve3846]

Very good doctor...

[@d.r.preparedness6427]

Curious, is there ever a situation that you have encountered or are wate of where the "irriversable" criteria disnt hold up and the person revived?

[@thevardinator8204]

It did tickle me a little bit, 'We can't ask the patient in this situation to give us their name & date of birth'.

[@taytekeates7606]

It’s 3am. I’ve got a computer science exam in a week. And I’m sat here learning how to confirm someone’s dead. 👍🏻

[@northernirishasmr4481]

Very interesting Dr. Gill thank you. You hear about people who say they died then came back to life. Surely if it has to be irreversible for death to be confirmed, then they hadn’t died? Also, how do you know it’s irreversible? Finally, if it’s clear they are dead (from a horrific accident for example), do you still do this test? Cheers!

[@DayDreamingWhispersASMR]

If all teachers could be like this more people would be successful

[@louisbaker4362]

The "corpse" in this video put on a really good performance. A real working stiff!

[@jeffjoestar4245]

Verifying death, step one: check if the head is still attached to the body

[@jamescraggs7764]

I’m a hospice nurse in California and I pronounce death often. It’s honestly less technical and more about supporting the family and normalizing the experience.

[@MrJaylucht]

Mr. Johnson, I need you to go lovely and floppy.. Brilliant!

[@gwenhyronemus1129]

Funeral director in the US...question are your DCs online signature? In the US we have State electronic systems that allow us to assign death record to dr and they sign cause and manner online

[@DrJamesGill]

No still a paper death certificate - which needs to be physically collected by family

[@DolfoLicks]

Mr. Johnson is looking drop dead amazing. More healthy looking than myself.

[@scottpearson6590]

As a funeral director this is so informative. Thank you

[@DrJamesGill]

Thank you. Have you ever found a missed pacemaker?

[@scottpearson6590]

@@DrJamesGill Just a few……we have ended up removing them in some instances.