Supreme Court Seeks AIIMS Panel on Brain Death Tests

In a significant development, the Supreme Court has mandated the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) to constitute an expert committee. This panel, comprising three neurology or neurosurgery specialists, will thoroughly examine the efficacy of various methods for determining brain death. The court seeks to ascertain if techniques such as cerebral angiogram and electroencephalogram (EEG) offer more reliable results than the currently employed apnea test.

The directive follows concerns voiced by a doctor and activist from Kerala regarding alleged malpractices in organ transplantation procedures. He contended that patients in critical condition were sometimes declared brain dead without sufficient clinical justification, potentially facilitating organ harvesting. While the Kerala High Court had closed proceedings based on state assurances of using the apnea test and videographing the process, the Supreme Court agreed to delve deeper.

The petitioner argued that internationally accepted standards, including WHO guidelines, position the apnea test as a confirmatory measure, not the sole basis for diagnosing brain-stem death. He advocated for ancillary tests like EEG or cerebral angiography to be conducted beforehand. The AIIMS committee is tasked with submitting its recommendations to the Supreme Court within two months in a sealed envelope.