These “still breathing people” are having their lungs inflated by the ventilator.
Part of the process of determining brain death is removing the ventilator to search for the gasp reflex...does the person’s brain have any ability to initiate breath.
This is one of many reflexes that are tested for - on top of brainwave tests and blood flow images.
I think that describing them as “still breathing” is misleading.
That was his description. We also discussed the movie Coma at that dinner, a true follow the money moment.