Parts of boy’s brain are decaying

• Chances of a youngster with brain damage who is at the center of a life support dispute recovering are ‘very low.’
• Archie Battersbee, 12, was discovered lifeless with a ligature around his neck at his Essex home.
• Tests have shown no evidence of improvement.

A High Court judge is warned that the chances of a youngster with brain damage who is at the center of a life support dispute recovering are ‘very low.’

On April 7, Archie Battersbee, 12, was discovered lifeless with a ligature around his neck at his Essex home.

His family believes he was participating in a risky internet challenge.

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He didn’t regain consciousness since, and doctors at the Royal London Hospital believe his life support should be turned off, despite his parents’ insistence that their son is still alive.

Mrs. Justice Arbuthnot was told by an unnamed specialist that the lower section of Archie’s brain stem was severely damaged, and the higher part was also harmed.

Archie should have more scans, including a brain stem test, before the judge makes her final ruling on Wednesday, the judge said on Friday.

Since mid-April, tests have shown no evidence of improvement, but there are indicators of worsening, he added, adding that the boy’s prognosis is ‘very severe’ and his chances of recovery are ‘very slim.’

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‘I believe Archie’s brain injury is severe enough that a point of recovery is doubtful,’ he told the court.

‘Yes,’ the doctor said when asked by Barts Health NHS Trust’s legal team if sections of the boy’s brain and spinal cord had perished and were rotting.

Archie’s family maintained that his heart was still beating and questioned if the “proper protocol” had been followed and whether their concerns had been heard.

They had earlier expressed fears that the tests would cause greater harm and questioned why he had not been treated for the swelling in his head.

While doctors previously stated that Archie was ‘brain-stem dead’ and had suffered ‘irreversible’ brain damage, his mother, Hollie Dance, stated that he needed more time to recuperate.

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“Only a few days ago, he began to open his eyes. When his ventilator tube was being replaced, tears appeared in his eyes.”