This is exactly the core issue of the paper, and a lot of inference is done on the side of the authors, which they correctly state and discuss. The intro + discussion is far better and much more insightful than the businessinsider article linked here.
* We first conducted a pilot study using highly targeted keyword searches in commercial and academic Chinese-language scientific databases. These searches and the papers they uncovered are presented in Appendix 1. We qualitatively analyzed and classified the resulting 683 papers, during which we developed a criterion for problematic Brain Death Declaration (BDD), and therefore a probable DDR violation.*
We define as problematic any BDD in which the report states that the donor was intubated after the declaration of brain death, and/or the donor was intubated immediately before organ procurement, as part of the procurement operation, or the donor was ventilated by face mask only.
And then later in the discussion:
* The complete list of these 71 papers and excerpts with problematic BDD are in Appendix 2. Examples include:*
“The heart donor was a brain trauma patient. By the time of heart procurement, breathing had ceased. Endotracheal intubation was performed and artificial respiration [established]. The heart beat well. The donor heart was procured …”43
“The donor was intravenously injected with heparin 3mg/kg 1h before the operation… The heartbeat was weak and the myocardium was purple. After assisted ventilation through tracheal intubation, the myocardium turned red and the heartbeat turned strong… The donor heart was extracted with an incision from the 4th intercostal sternum… This incision is a good choice for field operation where the sternum cannot be sawed open without power.”44
“After donor brain death, tracheal intubation was performed as soon as possible for artificial ventilation. The chest was opened quickly, and the ascending aorta and pulmonary artery were infused with cold cardioplegia…”45
“After the donor was confirmed brain dead the trachea was intubated, artificial respiration was established, rapid median sternal incision…”46
“2.1 Obtaining and protecting the donor organs. After the donor's whole body is heparinized, donor is supine, endotracheal intubation is performed through the mouth, and the anesthesiologist intermittently gives oxygen to the lungs by manual balloon pressure. Split the breastbone in the middle.…”47 [0]
I'm a bit shocked that the vast majority of commenters in this thread seem to have at best skimmed the article then went to comment some really ill-informed opinions.
Unit 731 did not use any while doing vivisection. For China, looking at the practices being discussed here to ensure "high quality" organs, would the practitioners suddenly grow a conscience?
Anesthesia on brain-dead donors is the standard of care, not because the donor is suffering at that point, but because the stresses of the harvest can harm the organs. I doubt very much that the those involved in murder by organ theft would lower the quality of the organs just to make their victims suffer more.
