Judge-Appointed Neurologist Says Calif. Girl ‘Meets All the Criteria for Brain Death’
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KGO-TV/ABC News(OAKLAND, Calif.) — A second doctor has determined that Jahi McMath, the California teen who suffered serious complications from a tonsillectomy, meets the criteria for brain death.
McMath, 13, entered Oakland Children’s Hospital on Dec. 9 to have her tonsils removed to cure sleep apnea, but ran into complications after surgery, according to her family. They say she was spitting up blood clots before being rushed into surgery.
McMath was declared brain dead on Dec. 12, but her family is hoping to prevent her from being taken off life support.
On Tuesday, Doctor Paul Graham Fisher, the independent neurologist appointed by a judge to examine McMath, testified that the girl “was not able to pass an apnea test.”
Dr. Fisher said, “She meets all the criteria for brain death. She has no brain stem and no cerebral function.”
The hospital has said it is reviewing the case but cannot comment specifically on the family’s account of what went wrong because it is prohibited from speaking publicly about her medical case.
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