A suspected case of ‘Lazarus Syndrome’ has been reported in Korea, in which the heartbeat of a patient declared dead from cardiac arrest has returned. Courtesy of Getty Images bank
A case has been reported where an ECG response was observed in a patient declared dead of cardiac arrest. The patient was again pronounced dead after briefly taking an electrocardiogram with the electrical signal generated when the heart beats. Medical staff have suggested they see it as a new type of “Lazarus syndrome,” in which the heartbeat of a patient who died of cardiac arrest returns.
Hyung-il Kim, a professor of emergency medicine at Dankook University Hospital, who published the case in the English Journal of the Korean Medical Society (JKMS) on the 12th, said: “This case with ECG was one of the syndrome of Lazarus, although it didn’t lead to ROSC (recovery of spontaneous circulation), where the heartbeat returned completely. It’s assumed to be a type,” he said. This is the first time Lazarus Syndrome or a suspected case has been reported in a newspaper in Korea.
Lazarus syndrome is a phenomenon in which recovery of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) occurs without medical intervention after cardiac arrest and death. It takes its name from Lazarus, who rose again 4 days after his death in the Bible.
Recovery of spontaneous circulation refers to the return of the heartbeat through cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). Even if spontaneous circulation is restored, not all patients recover to the extent that daily life is possible, and some are judged to be vegetative or die later. Of the 65 cases reported worldwide, only about 28% of patients fully recovered enough to be discharged.
This time, a patient in his 40s believed to have Lazarus Syndrome was transferred to the emergency room due to a traumatic heart attack. He was already in a coma when he was transferred. Medical personnel performed first aid, including airway protection with instruments, and performed CPR for 30 minutes, but she was eventually pronounced dead.
However, six minutes after the death sentence was pronounced, the patient’s electrocardiogram monitor suddenly showed a response of ventricular tachycardia (abnormally fast heartbeat). The medical team conducted an echocardiogram to confirm that the heart was indeed contracting, but it was difficult to confirm that the beat had fully returned. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation was performed for 7 minutes, but the death sentence was finally re-issued.
This patient did not wake up until spontaneous circulation was restored. However, it is explained that it can be seen as a new type of Lazarus syndrome as the cardiac activity response was observed after death.
Professor Kim Hyeong-il said, “I know of no case reported in overseas academia where only the electrocardiogram returned from a patient declared dead due to cardiac arrest has never been reported.”
Lazarus syndrome has not been actively studied. This is because it is a very rare phenomenon and it is estimated that there are many cases that do not lead to academic expertise. Previously, in Korea, two cases believed to be Lazarus Syndrome were reported in the media in 2014 and 2017, respectively, but were not published as articles.
Professor Kim Hyung-il said: ‘Lazarus syndrome is a phenomenon that needs to be managed carefully because it can cause misunderstandings among patients’ healthcare professionals. .
He continued, “However, since this is a medically defined phenomenon, the exact concept needs to be known and countermeasures need to be actively investigated.” I recommend doing it,” she said.