NHS staff told to take ‘extra caution’ extracting organs after ‘brain-dead’ baby starts breathing
NHS staff have been told to take “extra caution” when extracting organs after a baby who was declared brain-dead began breathing again.
The safety alert sent to staff at NHS Blood and Transport, seen by Sky News, advised them to pay “particular attention to pre-conditions and red flags” in children after the boy began breathing independently.
The child’s father has told Sky News that “extra caution” is not good enough.
“They did four brain stem tests on him and certified his death. When I asked whether there was an alternative test they said no. If there’s just one test to prove someone is alive or dead it should be 100 per cent accurate.
“They said it’s a miracle. It’s not a miracle, this is faulty medical science.”
Doctors treating the child at a London hospital conducted two sets of brain stem tests before seeking a second opinion to confirm their diagnosis.
Two weeks later, a nurse at the hospital noticed the boy, then four months, was breathing.
The Academy of Royal Medical Colleges (ARMC), which sets the test, said in August it would rewrite the code of practice on brain stem testing after the child’s case came to light.
This week it told Sky News it has sped up the process with a report due to be ready in months.
It has not offered parents or hospitals advice on what to do in the meantime.
David Jones, a professor of bioethics at St Mary’s University, warned there was a risk of organs being extracted from living children if clinicians got diagnoses wrong.
“The doctors could’ve said ‘This child is dead’ and they could’ve taken his organs,” Professor Jones said.
“But they didn’t because of an ongoing legal issue, and because they didn’t, they later found out that he wasn’t dead.”
More and more clinicians are now expressing concern about brain stem testing, according to Professor Jones.
“If the test is a matter of life and death, and if death means you can take organs, you want certainty. I think some of that certainty has been taken away by this case,” he told Sky News.
“Rather than people who were sceptics being a minority, I think there are a lot more people who have become sceptical of the test, at least in relation to children.”
The baby began breathing two weeks after he was declared brain-dead
The interim safety alert sent to NHSBT staff calls for “extra caution in any infant when diagnosing death using neurological criteria – paying particular attention to pre-conditions and red flags”.
An NHSBT spokesperson said: “There are strict criteria in place in the UK to provide safe, timely and consistent criteria for the diagnosis of death, provided by the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges.
“As medicine advances, new treatments and clinical practice means that protocols must be updated accordingly, and any new learnings shared. Clinicians pay particularly close attention to any rare or unusual cases, to ensure that the highest standards for patient and donor care and safety continue to be upheld.”
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NHSBT refused to comment on whether a moratorium should be in place until the ARMC’s expert group review is published.
Professor Jones said: “I think that if there isn’t a moratorium then at the very least all parents ought to be informed that this has happened and that this is a risk.
“But in the meantime I think that it shouldn’t be used on young children.”
Parental consent in such cases is not straightforward.
In June, the High Court ruled against the parents of 12-year-old Archie Battersbee after Barts Health NHS Trust took them to court to brain stem test him on the recommendation of doctors who said he was brain-dead.
After a legal battle lasting weeks, Archie’s life support machine was switched off and he died on 6 August.
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A family has been left “incredibly distraught” after the death of a four-year-old boy in his garden in Ceredigion in west Wales.
Maldwyn “Gwern” Evans died at his home in Tynreithin, Tregaron, on 20 June.
His family described him as a “keen little farmer” who would be remembered for his “captivating personality”.
“As a family, we are incredibly distraught by our tragic loss, and he will be greatly missed by us and the entire community,” they said in a statement issued through Dyfed-Powys Police.
“He was a loving son and a caring brother, who touched the hearts of so many.
“He lived his short life to the fullest and will be remembered for his captivating personality.
“He was an extremely keen little farmer who had knowledge and ability beyond his years.”
They added: “We would like to thank everyone for their support and kindness at this horrific time.
“It has meant so much to the whole family.”
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Dyfed-Powys Police said in a previous statement: “The death is not being treated as suspicious and HM Coroner has been informed.
“Our thoughts are with the family who are receiving support and they have asked for privacy during this difficult time.”
Newly released footage shows the search for missing British teenager Jay Slater continues by both land and air.
The search for the 19-year-old from Lancashire, who is missing in Tenerife, has now entered its tenth day.
He has been missing since Monday 17 June.
The friends he was holidaying with last heard from him at around 8.30am that day.
He told them he planned to walk back to his accommodation after missing a bus – a journey of around 11 hours by foot.
The search currently centres on Masca, a mountainous area on the western tip of the island.
The village, which is home to around 90 inhabitants, lies at an altitude of 650m, and is where Mr Slater is believed to have been when he was last heard from.
Pic: Guardia Civil/X
Pic: Guardia Civil/X
Search continues
The footage from Spanish police comes after Mr Slater’s father said the family were being kept in the dark by some officers.
It shows a helicopter searching the mountainous area, with search teams on foot having been joined by sniffer dogs.
They then enter a wooded area and proceed to search the mountainous region.
In one clip, an officer uses binoculars to try and see if there are any signs of the missing teen.
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Jay Slater’s dad has said police have left him and his family in the dark over the hunt for the missing teen.
The 35-second montage of clips was posted on the X social media platform on the Guardia Civil account.
“We continue with the search for the young British man missing in Tenerife,” police said in the post on Tuesday night.
“Different Guardia Civil units from the area participate, joined by agents, with their dogs specialised in searching for people, from Madrid.”
Keep up with all the latest news from the UK and around the world by following Sky News
But The Times reports that the dogs have not been given a piece of Mr Slater’s clothing for them to pick up a scent.
Cadaver dogs have been trained to pick up the scent of human remains without the need for a specific prompt.
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Mayor Emilio Jose Navarro told the Reuters news agency that some locals have been interviewed by police.
That includes some who claim they saw Mr Slater watching Euro matches on the coast.
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