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1 Notable cases  



1.1  Record  







2 Implications  





3 See also  





4 References  





5 External links  














Lazarus syndrome






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Lazarus Syndrome
Other namesLazarus phenomenon, Lazarus heart, autoresuscitation after failed cardiopulmonary resuscitation
SpecialtyCardiology

Lazarus syndrome (the Lazarus heart), also known as autoresuscitation after failed cardiopulmonary resuscitation,[1] is the spontaneous return of a normal cardiac rhythm after failed attempts at resuscitation. It is also used to refer to the spontaneous return of cardiac activity after the patient has been pronounced dead.[2] Its occurrence has been noted in medical literature at least 38 times since 1982.[3][4] It takes its name from Lazarus who, according to the New Testament, was raised from the dead by Jesus.[5]

Occurrences of the syndrome are extremely rare, and the causes are not well understood. One hypothesis for the phenomenon is that a chief factor (though not the only one) is the buildup of pressure in the chest as a result of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). The relaxation of pressure after resuscitation efforts have ended is thought to allow the heart to expand, triggering the heart's electrical impulses and restarting the heartbeat.[2] Other possible factors are hyperkalemia or high doses of epinephrine.[5]

Notable cases[edit]

Record[edit]

Velma Thomas, 59, of Nitro, West Virginia, United States holds the record time for recovering from clinical death. In May 2008, Thomas went into cardiac arrest at her home. Medics were able to establish a faint pulse after eight minutes of CPR. Her heart stopped twice after arriving at the hospital and she was placed on life support. Doctors attempted to lower her body temperature to prevent additional brain injury. She was declared clinically dead for 17 hours after doctors failed to detect brain activity. Her son, Tim Thomas, stated that "her skin had already started hardening, her hands and toes were curling up, they were already drawn". She was taken off life support and funeral arrangements were in progress. However, ten minutes after being taken off life support, she revived and recovered.[17][18]

Implications[edit]

The Lazarus phenomenon raises ethical issues for physicians, who must determine when medical death has occurred, resuscitation efforts should end, and postmortem procedures such as autopsies and organ harvesting may take place.[2]

Medical literature has recommended observation of a patient's vital signs for five to ten minutes after cessation of resuscitation before certifying death.[5]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Hornby K, Hornby L, Shemie SD (May 2010). "A systematic review of autoresuscitation after cardiac arrest". Crit. Care Med. 39 (5): 1246–53. doi:10.1097/CCM.0b013e3181d8caaa. PMID 20228683. S2CID 25038385.
  • ^ a b c d Ben-David M.D., Bruce; et al. (2001). "Survival After Failed Intraoperative Resuscitation: A Case of "Lazarus Syndrome"". Anesthesia & Analgesia. 92 (3): 690–92. doi:10.1213/00000539-200103000-00027. PMID 11226103.
  • ^ Adhiyaman, Vedamurthy; Adhiyaman, Sonja; Sundaram, Radha (2007). "The Lazarus phenomenon". Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine. 100 (12): 552–57. doi:10.1177/0141076807100012013. PMC 2121643. PMID 18065707.
  • ^ a b "Woman Declared Dead, Still Breathing in Morgue". Fox News. 7 October 2008. Retrieved 28 July 2014.
  • ^ a b c d Walker, A.; H. McClelland; J. Brenchley (2001). "The Lazarus Documentary following recreational drug use". Emerg Med J. 18 (1): 74–75. doi:10.1136/emj.18.1.74. PMC 1725503. PMID 11310473.
  • ^ Maeda, H; Fujita, M. Q.; Zhu, B. L.; Yukioka, H; Shindo, M; Quan, L; Ishida, K (2002). "Death following spontaneous recovery from cardiopulmonary arrest in a hospital mortuary: 'Lazarus phenomenon' in a case of alleged medical negligence". Forensic Science International. 127 (1–2): 82–7. doi:10.1016/s0379-0738(02)00107-x. PMID 12098530.
  • ^ "Embalmer finds 'dead' woman really alive". Bogota: NBC News. 17 February 2010. Retrieved 28 July 2014.
  • ^ Salazar, Hernando. "¿Colombiana experimentó Síndrome de Lázaro?". BBC Online (in Spanish). Retrieved 26 December 2010.
  • ^ Vinesh, Derrick (26 April 2011). "Resurrection man dies". The Star Online. Archived from the original on 5 January 2014. Retrieved 28 July 2014.
  • ^ Lupkin, Sydney (22 August 2013). "Ohio Man Declared Dead Comes Back to Life". ABC News. Retrieved 4 January 2014.
  • ^ McLaughlin, Eliott (28 February 2014). "Dead Mississippi man begins breathing in embalming room, coroner says". CNN. Retrieved 28 February 2014.
  • ^ Ford, Dana (13 March 2014). "Mississippi man who awoke in body bag dies two weeks later". CNN. Retrieved 13 March 2014.
  • ^ Ahdira, Alza (21 August 2020). "Satu Jam Setelah Dinyatakan Wafat, Gadis di Jawa Timur ini Kembali Hidup - Pikiran-Rakyat.com". www.pikiran-rakyat.com (in Indonesian). Pikiran Rakyat. Retrieved 21 August 2020.
  • ^ Harmeet Kaur; Gregory Lemos; Jennifer Henderson (20 October 2020). "Family of woman who died weeks after she was found alive at a funeral home sues paramedics for $50 million". CNN.
  • ^ Witsil, Frank. "Rare phenomenon could explain why Timesha Beauchamp was mistakenly believed to be dead". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved 27 August 2020.
  • ^ Rodriguez, Josef (25 August 2022). "After 'Dying' From a Stomach Bug, a 3-Year-Old Girl Woke Up At Her Own Funeral". we are Mitú. 100% American & Latino. Retrieved 31 August 2022.
  • ^ Elsworth, Catherine (26 May 2008). "Woman comes back to life after being dead for 17 hours". The Telegraph. Retrieved 9 June 2019.
  • ^ "Woman Came Back From the Dead After 17 Hours with No Measurable Brain Waves". Neatorama. 27 May 2008. Retrieved 9 June 2019.
  • External links[edit]

    The Lazarus Phenomenon


    Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Lazarus_syndrome&oldid=1226075966"

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