When a person dies, a number of steps need to be completed before the legal registration of death and any funeral takes place. The first step, Verification of Life Extinct (VLE), is confirmation or verification that death has indeed occurred.
This section describes the features required to diagnose death, who can perform that function and details of the procedure.
This material has been designed for health and social care professionals.
All healthcare workers should bear in mind the need to consider this guidance carefully and, using their own clinical judgment, to consider whether it is appropriate to any individual case.
Guidelines for Verifying Life Extinct