The patient is on a ventilator and has a heartbeat,but is brain dead.What should the nurse do?

A) Explain that as long as the heart is beating,the patient is still alive.
B) Provide a private area for the family to discuss organ donation options.
C) Inform the family that the organs will be harvested when he is off the ventilator.
D) Stress the importance of leaving the patient on the ventilator to harvest the corneas.

Brain Dead

A medical condition characterized by the irreversible loss of all brain functions, including the brainstem.

Ventilator

A machine that provides mechanical ventilation by moving breathable air into and out of the lungs, to deliver breaths to a patient who is physically unable to breathe, or breathing insufficiently.

Organ Donation

The process of giving one or multiple organs to a recipient in need of a transplant, with the donor being either alive or deceased.