FatwaFederal TerritoriesMedicine & Health
AL-KAFI #480: MATI OTAK NAMUN MASIH TERDAPAT TINDAKAN REFLEKS
Can a brain-dead patient who still shows reflex actions such as finger movements be declared dead?
Short answer
Confirming death from brain death follows a very strict medical procedure in Malaysia.
A reference, not a fatwa. First sentence of the summary below — read the original fatwa and consult your state authority before acting.
- Authority
- Federal Territories Mufti Office
- Date
- Status
- Opinion (irsyad)
- Series
- Al-Kafi li al-Fatawi
- Topic
- Medicine & Health
No evidence of gazettement in the source — this is not a gazetted fatwa.
Summary
Confirming death from brain death follows a very strict medical procedure in Malaysia. The patient must be in a coma with a Glasgow score of 3/15, pass an apnoea test, and show loss of brainstem reflexes such as the pupillary and corneal reflexes. Death can only be confirmed once all tests are done and verified by a specialist doctor. If reflex actions are observed in the patient, the matter must be referred to a specialist doctor before any further action is taken.
Written in our own words from the original fatwa — check the source before acting on it.
Oleh itu, jika terdapat tindakan refleks terhadap pesakit, perlulah dirujuk kepada pihak doktor yang pakar sebelum tindakan selanjutnya di ambil.
Read the full fatwa on the Federal Territories website (new tab)
How to cite
Cite the original fatwa and its authority. Rujuk Fatwa is only where you found it.
Federal Territories Mufti Office. “AL-KAFI #480: MATI OTAK NAMUN MASIH TERDAPAT TINDAKAN REFLEKS”, 5 December 2016. https://muftiwp.gov.my/ms/artikel/al-kafi-li-al-fatawi/1401-al-kafi-480-mati-otak-namun-masih-terdapat-tindakan-refleks. Found via Rujuk Fatwa: https://rujukfatwa.com/en/fatwa/brain-dead-patient-with-reflex-actions/