Archie Battersbee

Question 1

Summarise the Archie Battersbee case

Answer 1

• Died due to a strangulation incident, coroner’s report states that he placed a belt around his neck to experience a high.
• He experienced a serious hypoxic brain injury.
• Doctors believed him to be brain dead, and so requested that treatment be stopped. His family did not agree and went through various legal avenues to challenge the decision, such as the ECHR and the Supreme Court.
• They were unsuccessful, and following a judge’s ruling that he was dead, Archie’s life support was withdrawn.

Question 2

What ethical questions did it raise?

Answer 2

• ## Who should have the right to make medical decisions for children.

Question 3

Can parents make medical decisions for their children?

Answer 3

• The BMA states that parents have the right to make decisions about their children’s treatment, except in cases where these decisions are not in the child’s best interests.

Question 4

How is ‘brainstem death’ defined and decided?

Answer 4

Brainstem death is defined as the “irreversible cessation of brainstem function, including the ability to breathe independently”.

Brainstem death must be tested for and certified by at least two doctors who have carried out their tests. This is complex and usually involves many medical professionals such as neurologists, intensive care doctors and organ retrieval teams (SNODs). Patients are examined for pupillary reflexes, corneal reflexes, pain response, caloric reflex, gag reflex, and any attempt at breathing with a short period of ventilator disconnection.