Jahi McMath was declared brain dead following complications related to tonsil / sleep apnea surgery at Children’s Hospital in Oakland California. Jahi developed post-op bleeding and went into cardiac arrest. Several doctors examined her and declared she satisfied criteria for brain death. And she was indeed declared dead. Under California law, brain death equals death.
The hospital wanted to remove Jahi from the ventilator. The patient’s family filed a court action arguing that the hospital should not have the power to do so. Removing the ventilator would cause cardiopulmonary arrest. The family believed it was premature to make that call.