Actually, when I come from, it's brain death that is considered final death, because we have machines that can keep people breathing. But yeah, a lack of a heartbeat still leads quickly to brain death.

[ He's a little quieter as he continues. He knows they're on the edge of touchy subjects, but- well, they might as well talk about what they're going to talk about now, right? ]

I'm wondering if they've redefined it here, too. If they can keep the body going through well-placed electrical impulses, maybe they could keep the brain in something of a 'comatose' state. Just enough to recover their brain activity.