71-Year-Old Declared Dead, But Came Back Alive: How Science Explains This Shocking Revival

As we grow old, it is said that our balance and stability decreases, and the chances of us falling and injuring ourselves is much more prevalent. It was just another day in the emergency room when a 71-year-old was admitted after cranial and thoracic trauma from a fall. He was a bit confused and struggling to catch his breath, but the team was optimistic. They began the standard workup, expecting to stabilize him for further evaluation. However, the treatment was derailed when he suddenly experienced a cardiorespiratory arrest. The emergency room staff-initiated CPR, following the strict protocols of Advanced Life Support. They checked for cardiac tamponade, a potential cause, but the bedside ultrasound showed nothing. Despite receiving CPR for 20 minutes, his heart didn't respond. He was declared dead. About one minute later, however, his heart began beating on its own, and he ‘rose from the dead’. He still couldn't breathe on his own and was moved to the ICU.Also Read: Loni Anderson Dies Day Before Her 80th Birthday: Remembering Her Crusade Against COPD Although he was stabilized, the man eventually died. His injuries included bleeding in the brain, fractures to his skull, neck, and ribs. This report was published in the International Journal of Innovative Research in Medical Science, detailing a case of Lazarus phenomenon that happened in February of 2025. Rising From the Dead – Not A Miracle But Medical Phenomenon When an emergency situation arises and we must rush to the doctors, they try their level best to ensure that the person receiving the care survives and has the best possible quality of life. However, it is not always possible. So, it is nothing short of a miracle when a person comes back to life, after some period of being declared dead. This is called the Lazarus Syndrome. It is a rare event where a person's heart spontaneously starts beating again after they've been pronounced dead following a failed CPR attempt, it was named after the biblical figure Lazarus. The International Journal of Community Medicine and Public Health 2024 review explains that even though it has been documented in medical literature, doctors don't fully understand why the Lazarus syndrome happens. Several theories have been proposed. Sometimes, the drugs given during CPR might not work right away. The heart could restart when the medication finally takes effect. Some possible theories suggested by the: Delayed Medication Effect Sometimes, drugs given during CPR might not work right away. The heart could restart when the medication finally takes effect. Hyperkalemia An excess of potassium in the bloodstream may play a role. Myocardial Stunning This refers to a temporary loss of heart function that can improve on its own. Reperfusion Injury When blood flow returns to the heart after a period of being stopped, it can sometimes cause further damage. Is It Medical Negligence Or An Unavoidable Phenomenon? To understand this, a 2012 survey published in the Critical Care Medicine, asked doctors what methods they used to declare a patient dead. Out of 501 intensive care doctors in Canada, 49% responded to a survey about how they determine death after a patient's heart stops. The doctors had an average of 10 years of experience and typically worked in large, university-affiliated hospitals. The survey revealed a lot of variation in how doctors declare a patient dead. The most common methods were listening for heart and breath sounds and checking for a pulse, but no single method was used by everyone. Despite the variations, many doctors agreed on a few key points: Lazarus Phenomenon 65% of the doctors believe that autoresuscitation, or the Lazarus phenomenon, is real, with 37% saying they have personally seen a possible case during their career. Need for Guidelines A large majority of doctors (69%) believe there needs to be a standardized process for declaring death after a cardiac arrest. This number was even higher (91%) when it came to cases involving organ donation. How Does The Lazarus Phenomenon Change Medical Care? The 2024 review of Lazarus syndrome details how the syndrome forces us to rethink what it means to be alive or dead. It raises difficult questions, such as: When is someone really dead? It makes doctors re-examine the rules for declaring death.What about organ donation? If a patient could potentially come back to life, it complicates the process of organ donation.What if they survive with brain damage? Doctors and families must consider the patient's potential quality of life if they recover but have suffered brain injury.How Do the Doctors Deal With Lazarus Syndrome? To understand the effects of Lazarus syndrome, the medical team’s main goal is to figure out what caused it and to give the appropriate treatment. They might use advanced cardiac life support, which means giving the highest level of care possible. Doctors might also use a special machine called extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) to help the heart and lungs work. Another treatment option is therapeutic hypothermia, where the patient's body is cooled down to help protect their brain from damage. Ultimately, we still have a lot to learn about this rare event, and more research is needed to better understand how to manage it.

71-Year-Old Declared Dead, But Came Back Alive: How Science Explains This Shocking Revival

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