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How do you diagnose death? In Critical Care we deal with death on a regular basis and although it seems black and white, that is often far from the truth. Patricia Gerritsen discusses what it means to be dead and how that knowledge can aid you in stopping a resuscitation effort. Patricia presents the degrees of death in her eyes as: Soon to be dead Reversibly dead Irreversibly dead Reversibly, irreversibly dead Changes occur following death that can be proof of death. But not always. Pallor mortis, algor mortis, rigor mortis, livor mortis and decomposition can all indicate someone has died. There are other clues that can indicate a person is either dead or will soon be dead – with minimal chance of any life saving intervention. The varying ways death presents itself poses a challenge for the clinician. This is especially true when deciding when to stop a resuscitation effort. Consider the reversibly, irreversibly dead – also known as the Lazarus phenomenon. These patients achieve return of spontaneous circu