What transpires when a patient’s life support is turned off while he is brain dead?
The 12-year-old youngster was discovered unconscious at home in April 2022 and has been on a ventilator for months.
The intriguing story of a UK youngster named Archie Battersbee has drawn attention from all over the world and brought up many challenging issues. Archie attempted an online challenge in April and was discovered by his mother with a cord around his neck. He has apparently been receiving life support treatment for months.
He has been declared “brain-stem dead” by his medical team, or simply “brain dead,” and they want to turn off the ventilator that is keeping him alive. His parents, Paul Battersbee and Hollie Dance, had different opinions. They contend that they and their son have a full right to receive medical care, and in order to protect that right, they have appealed the hospital’s decision to stop providing life-supporting measures to the High Court, Court of Appeal, and Supreme Court on numerous occasions. Sadly, they have always been rejected because it was in Archie’s “best interest”.
They even knocked to the door of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) on Wednesday, August 3, to request a delay in the termination of life support. Strasbourg, France’s institution, however, rejected it. Archie’s family has now asked the High Court to transfer the young man to a hospice in an effort to give him the “peaceful death” he deserves.
When Archie could be having his life support removed in a very peaceful garden with squirrels and other wildlife running around, Hollie Dance, Archie’s mother, questioned what was dignified about dying in a busy hospital room full of noise with the door open and people coming in and out continuously.
What exactly is brain death and what occurs when a life-saving treatment is stopped?
According to the National Health Service (NHS), when a person has been “on an artificial life support machine” and their brain is not functioning, they are deemed brain dead or brain-stem dead. According to the website, “this means they won’t be able to breathe on their own or regain consciousness.” Legal confirmation of death for someone who is brain dead. Since their bodies are incapable of surviving without mechanical life support, they have little prospect of recovering.
Additionally, according to UK law, “if someone is brain dead, the harm is irrevocable and the person has died.” The NHS continued, “Because a person’s heart will continue to beat and their chest will continue to rise and fall with each breath from the ventilator, it can be puzzling to be told someone has brain dead.
It has also been stated that just because someone is receiving life support does not necessarily signify that they have passed away. Patients frequently get life-sustaining care for a while “to aid their rehabilitation and are removed off it when their body can survive by itself,” according to The Daily Mirror.
However, it is encouraged to turn off life support if a patient is brain dead so that they can pass away “if there is no possibility of recovery.” According to The Daily Mirror, “a person who is brain dead will die within minutes when they are taken off life support since they will not be able to breathe on their own.”