The study of brain death in Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari province in Iran from 2003 to 2013

Background and aims: There are different causes for brain death including head trauma, cerebrovascular accidents and intracranial space-occupying lesions. The present study was aimed to determine the causes of brain death in Chahar Mahal and Bakhtiari province due to high turnover of trauma in this area during 2003 to 2013. Methods: This study was based on routine data and was conducted on all brain death cases of Ayatollah Kashani Hospital in Shahrekord city, the capital of province, from 2003 to 2013. Necessary data was collected using retrospective method and completion of the questionnaire. Results: The results of the study showed that 95 patients were brain dead in Chahar Mahal and Bakhtiari province over a ten-year study. The mean age of these brain dead patients was 31±15.4 years with the age range of 5 to 78 years. 35.8% (33 patients) of the patients were female. The most common cause of brain death was driving accidents with 44.2% (42 cases). Most of brain deaths were occurred in the summer season with 41.1% (39 patients). Conclusion: The most common causes of brain death in adults and children were trauma due to car accidents. The limited use of safety devices among the population may pose more attention of managers to build the culture of using the safety devices during driving.