Not a Nurse, but have the greatest respect for them, my sister is one, OB/GYN, presently on a ski vacation, so can't ask her or her hubby physician.
Can "flat EEG" people still breathe on their own???
One problem ith the EEG is that it cannot measure activity or structure beyond the cerebral cortex...
The Brainstem, not measured by EEG, however, can still be functioning enough to perform teh involuntary body functions, such as breathing, eye blinking, and swallowing saliva etc...
Short answer--yes. As well, a single EEG is not reliable to indicate permanent status, particularly in the acute phase of brain insult. Serial EEG, absence of spontaneous respirations, absence of ocular reflexes, etc., are used in total to determine brain death.