Episode 76: Brain Death and the Archie Battersbee Case

Doctor Vs Comedian

On today’s special episode the guys forgo an entertainment topic to focus on the Archie Bastersbee case in the UK and the concept of brain death. They guys start off by discussing how he sustained a brain injury supposedly while doing a TikTok “Blackout challenge. They discuss how his doctors diagnosed him as “brain dead” but the family disagreed with the diagnosis and appealed to courts in the UK, as well as the UN. Asif then discusses the 2 different ways to diagnose death (cardiac and neurological) and the tests neurologists use to determine brain death. The guys also talk about the differences between this case and the Terri Schiavo case. Ali then asks Asif about a New Yorker article by Rachel Aviv which discusses the case of Jahi McMath. Using her case, the guys discuss how the diagnosis of brain death has come under scrutiny by some experts.

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Music courtesy of Wataboi and 8er41 from Pixabay

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Show Notes:

• Archie Battersbee case: a timeline of key events: https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2022/aug/06/archie-battersbee-case-timeline-key-events-life-support-what-happened
• Determination of Brain Death/Death by Neurologic Criteria - The World Brain Death Project: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/article-abstract/2769149
• What Does it Mean to Die? https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2018/02/05/what-does-it-mean-to-die