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Alaska Statutes.

Title 18. Health, Safety, and Housing

Chapter 8. Emergency Medical Services

Section 89. Authority to Pronounce Death.

AS 18.08.089. Authority to Pronounce Death.

(a) A mobile intensive care paramedic or physician assistant registered or licensed under AS 08.64.107 or an emergency medical technician certified under this chapter may make a determination and pronouncement of death of a person under the following circumstances:

(1) the paramedic or emergency medical technician is an active member of an emergency medical service certified under this chapter;

(2) neither a physician licensed under AS 08.64 nor a physician exempt from licensure under AS 08.64 is immediately available for consultation by radio or telephone communications;

(3) the paramedic, physician assistant, or emergency medical technician has determined, based on acceptable medical standards, that the person has sustained irreversible cessation of circulatory and respiratory functions.

(b) A mobile intensive care paramedic, physician assistant, or emergency medical technician who has determined and pronounced death under this section shall document the clinical criteria for the determination and pronouncement on the person's emergency medical service report form and notify the appropriate medical director or collaborative physician as soon as communication can be established. The paramedic, physician assistant, or emergency medical technician shall provide to the person who signs the death certificate the

(1) name of the deceased;

(2) presence of a contagious disease, if known; and

(3) date and time of death.

(c) Except as otherwise provided under AS 18.50.230 , a physician licensed under AS 08.64 shall certify a death determined under (b) of this section within 24 hours after the pronouncement by the mobile intensive care paramedic, physician assistant, or emergency medical technician.

(d) In this section,

(1) "acceptable medical standards" means cardiac arrest accompanied by

(A) the presence of injuries incompatible with life, including incineration, decapitation, open head injury with loss of brain matter, or detruncation;

(B) the presence of rigor mortis;

(C) the presence of post mortem lividity; or

(D) failure of the patient to respond to properly administered resuscitation efforts;

(2) "failure of the patient to respond" means without restoration of spontaneous pulse or respiratory effort by the patient;

(3) "properly administered resuscitation efforts" means

(A) when a person authorized to perform advanced cardiac life support techniques is not available and the patient is not hypothermic, at least 30 minutes of properly performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation;

(B) when a person authorized to perform advanced cardiac life support techniques is not available and the patient is hypothermic, at least 60 minutes of cardiopulmonary resuscitation properly performed in conjunction with rewarming techniques as described in the current State of Alaska Hypothermia and Cold Water Near-Drowning Guidelines published by the division of public health, Department of Health and Social Services; or

(C) at least 30 minutes of cardiopulmonary resuscitation and advanced cardiac life support techniques properly performed by a person authorized to perform advanced life support services.

Note to HTML Version:

This version of the Alaska Statutes is current through December, 2004. The Alaska Statutes were automatically converted to HTML from a plain text format. Every effort has been made to ensure their accuracy, but this can not be guaranteed. If it is critical that the precise terms of the Alaska Statutes be known, it is recommended that more formal sources be consulted. For statutes adopted after the effective date of these statutes, see, Alaska State Legislature If any errors are found, please e-mail Touch N' Go systems at E-mail. We hope you find this information useful.

Last modified 9/3/2005