Keynote moments of the development of the brain death concept and transplants during the 20th century, in different periods, are comparatively presented
| Transplants | Brain death concept |
|---|---|
| CNS, central nervous system; ICP, intracranial pressure. | |
| 1902 First renal autotransplant | 1902 Reports of increased ICP provoking respiratory arrest with preserved heart beat |
| 1902–50 | 1902–50 |
| 1906 First xenotransplant in humans | 1929 Berger discovers the EEG |
| 1933 First kidney transplant from a cadaveric donor, without success | 1930 Crile proposes a definition of death as a drop in electric potentials |
| 1938 EEG is used to show loss of brain potentials after ischaemia | |
| 1939 Crafoord proposes that death in animals is due to the cessation of cerebral blood flow | |
| 1950–9 | 1950–9 |
| 1954 First successful kidney transplant between identical twins | 1956 Cerebral circulatory arrest is demonstrated in comatose patients by angiography |
| 1959 Death of the nervous system coma dépassé | |
| 1960–8 | 1960–8 |
| 1962 First successful kidney transplant from a cadaveric donor | |
| 1963 Fist successful liver and lung transplants from cadaveric donors | 1963 First organ transplant using a brain-dead donor Schwab proposes to use the EEG for demonstrating death of the CNS |
| 1966 First successful pancreas transplant from a cadaveric donor | |
| 1968 First successful heart transplant between humans | 1968 Harvard Report and Sydney Declaration |