A patient with an advanced neurological condition is being assessed for end-of-life decision-making. The nurse is explaining the role of an EEG in confirming brain death. Which of the following statements by the nurse is most appropriate?

A. "An EEG can be used alone to determine if brain activity is still present in patients who are unresponsive.": EEG cannot be used in isolation to declare brain death because it may be affected by medications, metabolic disturbances, or hypothermia, and clinical assessment is required for a comprehensive evaluation. B. "An EEG is not needed to determine brain death as clinical signs are sufficient.": While clinical criteria are central to brain death determination, EEG may be used as an ancillary test in certain situations, such as when confounding factors prevent full clinical assessment, to provide objective confirmation of electrical inactivity. C. "The EEG will confirm brain death when no electrical activity is present in the brain.": EEG records cortical electrical activity, and the absence of detectable activity (electrocerebral silence) supports the diagnosis of brain death when combined with a complete clinical evaluation. This makes it a reliable confirmatory tool in specific cases. D. "An EEG may show normal brain activity in patients who are close to brain death.": Patients nearing brain death generally exhibit severely diminished or absent cortical activity. Normal EEG findings would indicate preserved brain function and are inconsistent with imminent brain death.