Abstract: Brain death has been widely accepted as a standard of death in the medical field, yet it has not been formally established in China’s legal system. This article examines the practical challenges and judicial disputes in the application of brain death in China’s legal framework, using the scenario of deemed work-related injury as a case study. Through case analysis, it is found that judicial practice often exhibits a cautious expansive interpretation in balancing the protection of labor rights and legal stability, particularly in special cases such as organ donation. However, due to legislative vacancies, such judicial breakthroughs face challenges such as inconsistent medical standards, insufficient authority in forensic appraisal, and internal contradictions within the legal system, making judicial rulings inconsistent. Future legislation should focus on the medical essence, establish a dual death determination system encompassing both cardiac death and brain death, revise relevant legal regulations in a timely manner to clarify the application of brain death in special cases, and promote coordinated development between legal and medical through guiding judicial precedents to achieve the unification of the protection of the right to life and social justice.

Key words: brain death, work-related injury recognition, judicial precedent, forensic appraisal, organ donation

摘要： 脑死亡在医学上已被广泛接受为死亡标准，但在我国法律体系中尚未正式确立。本文以“视同工伤”情形为切入点，系统梳理脑死亡在我国法律适用中的现实困境与司法分歧。通过典型案例分析发现，司法实践在平衡劳动者权益保护与法律稳定性时，尤其在涉及器官捐献等特殊情形中，呈现审慎扩张解释的趋势。然而，由于立法缺位导致这种突破面临医学标准不统一、司法鉴定权威性不足、法律体系内部互相矛盾等问题，使得司法裁判尺度难以统一。未来立法应立足医学本质，构建“心死亡+脑死亡”的二元化死亡认定体系，适时修订相关法律规范明确特殊情形下的脑死亡适用规则，并借助指导性案例统一裁判尺度，推动法律与医学的协同发展，实现生命权保障与社会正义的统一。

关键词: 脑死亡, 工伤认定, 司法判例, 司法鉴定, 器官捐献