The Ministry of Health has recently approved China's first standard to accurately judge brain death.

It means that cardiac function is no longer the sole criterion in determining death.

The standard was formulated by Tongji Hospital affiliated to Huazhong University of Science and Technology. The hospital announced a death in April last year with brain death standard, the first ever on the Chinese mainland.

The concept of brain death was first raised by scientists at Harvard University in 1968. Since then, more than 80 countries and regions have adopted the standard, along with the corresponding legislation.

(CRI May 3, 2004)