ABSTRACT
This chapter presents a case study of an active man in his fifties when he suffered a cardiac arrest and consequent cerebral hypoxia. He was fed (clinically assisted nutrition and hydration (CANH)) through a gastrostomy, and over the following 3 months his doctors concluded that he was suffering a ‘prolonged disorder of consciousness’. It was also concluded that if he were to regain consciousness, he would have profound disability, both physical and cognitive, and remain dependent on others to care for him. His wife and children told the clinicians that he would not have wished to be kept alive if he had received that prognosis during the time preceding his loss of capacity. In considering his case, the Supreme Court noted that decisions on withdrawing CANH are frequent and ubiquitous, taken consensually every day throughout the country in the best interests of patients with a wide range of neurodegenerative conditions, notably stroke and dementia.
