Household of 20-year-old man fears he might be wrongly declared mind useless as a result of ‘unreliable’ take a look at

The household of a brain-damaged man have known as for certainty when medical doctors resolve if he’s mind useless.

Andy Casey, 20, from south London, has been in St George’s Hospital in Tooting for per week after being punched at the back of the top.

His household say medical doctors treating him on the hospital need to do a mind stem take a look at to evaluate whether or not he’s mind useless earlier than eradicating life assist.

The household oppose the take a look at, citing questions over its reliability after two latest instances the place the take a look at was used to wrongly declare dwelling folks as useless.

Mr Casey’s mom Samantha Johnson advised Sky News the take a look at is “not 100% accurate”.

She stated: “If they do this test and it comes back zero activity, they can turn off the machine…. it’s not a 100% accurate test so there could be a chance that my son could pull through this.

“I consider my son is preventing. He wants this opportunity and I’m going to struggle it doesn’t matter what.”

The mind stem take a look at is a medical take a look at carried out when there may be clear proof of great mind harm that can’t be cured.

It consists of a sequence of mini assessments to examine the mind’s automated features, together with response to gentle within the eyes, ice-cold water within the ear and a brief interval off a ventilator, to see whether or not a affected person makes an attempt to take a breath.

Teen and child ‘wrongly declared mind useless’

In March 2021, 18-year-old Lewis Roberts was declared mind stem useless after a highway accident.

But he started respiration independently hours earlier than his organs have been to be extracted for donation. He went on to make vital restoration and a yr later was capable of play soccer and basketball.

Last yr, the take a look at wrongly discovered a child at a hospital in London useless earlier than he additionally started respiration independently.

High Court choose Mr Justice Hayden, who was requested to resolve what was within the child’s finest pursuits, known as the take a look at “unreliable”.

Before then, medical consensus had been that the brain-stem take a look at was the gold normal. The child’s case shattered that orthodoxy and the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges pledged to replace steerage round mind stem testing.

Sky News understands a team of experts there are reviewing the guidance and they’re anticipated to report later this yr.

Baroness Ilora Finlay, former president of the British Medical Association, recommended medical doctors may have a look at every case individually within the interim.

She stated: “Guidelines and protocols are really helpful, they act as a checklist of a minimum thing to do – but they don’t take away the importance of individual assessment.”

Baroness Finlay stated such instances are already sophisticated with out uncertainty over tips.

She added: “These are incredibly difficult situations for all the clinical team, nurses, doctors the other staff as well as of course for the families who are distraught.”

St George’s Hospital has been contacted for remark.