BMJ 2006;333:1089 (25 November), doi:10.1136/bmj.39041.664433.DB
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Judge over-rules family's wish that patient should be allowed to die
Clare Dyer, legal correspondent
1 BMJ
| The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below. |
England's senior family judge has ruled that a woman in a persistent vegetative state (PVS) should be given a sleeping pill that has been reported to temporarily wake up PVS patients, despite the wishes of her family that she should be allowed to die with dignity.
Mark Potter, president of the High Court's family division, backed the official solicitor, acting for the 53 year old woman, who argued that the drug zolpidem should be given a brief trial before a final decision was made to discontinue artificial nutrition and hydration.
The woman, who cannot be named, is in a PVS after she had had a brain haemorrhage in August 2003 while on holiday with her family.
The official solicitor took expert advice after reading reports of cases where patients in a PVS temporarily woke up and in some cases spoke after being given zolpidem.
The woman's family were against the
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