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The Supreme Court of India has raised serious concerns about the reliability of the apnea test, a medical procedure reportedly used in Kerala and other parts of the country to confirm brain death.

A bench of Supreme Court justices, including Justice Vikram Nath and Justice Sandeep Mehta, recently reviewed arguments presented by Dr. S. Ganapathy, who questioned whether the apnea test is a safe and accurate method for determining brain death.

Dr. Ganapathy argued that the procedure itself may be dangerous because it involves temporarily removing a patient from ventilator support to see whether they can breathe on their own. During this process, oxygen levels may fall and carbon dioxide levels may rise, which could reduce or even stop blood flow to the brain. According to the doctor, this could potentially worsen the patient’s condition or even contribute to brain death rather than simply diagnosing it.

The Supreme Court noted that these concerns appear credible at this stage and deserve deeper examination. The judges emphasized the importance of ensuring that any medical test used to declare brain death must be scientifically reliable, safe, and beyond doubt, especially because such decisions can have major ethical, legal, and emotional consequences for patients and their families.

Brain death certification is a critical part of organ donation procedures and end-of-life decisions. Therefore, any uncertainty about testing methods could affect public trust in the healthcare system.

The case has sparked wider discussion in the medical and legal communities about whether current protocols should be reviewed and whether safer or more advanced alternatives should be considered. The court is expected to continue examining the matter carefully before making a final decision.