A common question for paramedics is, “What’s the worst call you’ve ever had?”
Another favorite: “Is it possible to bring people back from the dead?”
The answer to the second question might surprise you: Yes.
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However, there is a catch.
The patient can’t betoodead.
It begins with whether we’re discussingclinical deathorbiological death.
Both mean the patient is technically dead, but each term refers to a different level of permanency.
One is fixable; the other is not.
This article explores the definitions of death and when it’s possible to bring someone back from the dead.
Clinical Death
First comes clinical death, which iswhen breathing and blood flow stop.
Clinical death is the same ascardiac arrest; the heart has stopped beating and blood has stopped flowing.
Technically, clinical death requires both the heart and the breathing to stop, but that’s just semantics.
Breathing andconsciousnesswill cease within a few seconds of the heart stopping.
Clinical death is reversible.
However, not all brain cells die at the same time.
It is thought brain cells die slowly over hours or even days after the heart stops.
Indeed, that’s one way that organ donation is possible.
The hard truth is that some people are just plain dead by the time they’re found.
Frequently Asked Questions
It’s hard to say.
This phenomenon was named after the biblical figure who was resurrected by Jesus four days after his death.
The clinical term is delayed return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC), which was coined in 1993.
NYU Langone Health.Cardiac arrest & death.
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Sahni V.The Lazarus phenomenon.JRSM Open.
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