Lazarus syndrome: An image crisis for doctors

Lasarus syndrome, or autoresuscitation, is the resumption of blood circulation after the heart has stopped beating and has failed to resuscitate despite cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). Simply put, it is the rebirth of life after death.

In 2020, a comprehensive review of all published cases revealed that most patients were 60 or older, with conditions such as hyperkalemia (an excess of potassium in the bloodstream) and hypovolemia (low blood volume). In all cases, resuscitation attempts lasted at least 20 minutes, with a 30-minute mediation period. Within five minutes of the end of resuscitation, 30 of the 63 cases showed signs of life. In 14 cases, signs of life were observed six to ten minutes after resuscitation. A few hours after 'death,' signs of life were either missed or not recorded in the medical records of the remaining 19. According to a 2020 case study, roughly 35% of patients survive Lazarus syndrome and fully recover before discharge. However, 66% of the victims died of heart disease. Your vital organs slowly fail.

The exact cause of Lazarus syndrome is unknown. Lazarus syndrome is caused by trapped air. It occurs more frequently in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) patients. Hyperventilation occurs when the lungs are pumped with too much air. It is called "air trapping." Your chest expands when you inhale. Desperate to get blood out of chest veins into the body, the heart struggles. A blood clot could kill you. When trapped air in your lungs escapes, your chest pressure drops. In the end, blood is pumped back to the heart. The illusion of a restarted heart can then be achieved.

Delay in drug delivery is another theory. Air trapping hinders the medication. Blood carrying medications can reach the heart with proper air trapping. If the drugs work, your circulation will return. To restart an arrhythmic heartbeat, a defibrillator may be used during CPR. The shock and effect may be delayed. Long enough waiting appears to restore circulation without a shock.

We have heard of doctors declaring patients dead who came back to life at a funeral. It casts doubt on the doctor's abilities. Doctor and hospital names will be sullied. The general public should be educated on the Lazarus syndrome to prevent this. Doctors should keep a heart monitor connected for 10 minutes after CPR stops before declaring someone dead.

Md Hafez is an Assistant Professor, School of Business, Ahsanullah University of Science and Technology; Email: [email protected]

Tahmin Shahid, Department of Management Studies, Jagannath University.