A suspected case of ‘Lazarus Syndrome’, in which the heartbeat of a patient declared dead due to cardiac arrest returns, has been reported in Korea. Courtesy of Getty Images Bank
A case has been reported in which an ECG response was observed in a patient who was declared dead due to cardiac arrest. The patient was declared dead once more following briefly drawing an electrocardiogram with the electrical signal generated when the heart beats. Medical staff suggested seeing 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 Lazarus Syndrome, although it did not lead to ROSC (recovery of spontaneous circulation), in which the heartbeat completely returned. It is presumed to be a type,” he said. This is the first time that Lazarus Syndrome or a suspected case has been reported in a paper in Korea.
Lazarus Syndrome is a phenomenon in which recovery of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) occurs without medical intervention following cardiac arrest and death. It is named following Lazarus, who was resurrected following 4 days of 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 followingwards. Of the 65 cases reported worldwide, only regarding 28% of patients have fully recovered enough to be discharged.
This time, a patient in his 40s believed to be a case of 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 staff performed first aid, including securing an airway using instruments, and performed CPR for 30 minutes, but death was eventually declared.
However, six minutes following the death sentence was pronounced, the patient’s electrocardiogram monitor suddenly showed a ventricular tachycardia (abnormally fast pulse) response. The medical team conducted an echocardiogram to confirm that the heart was actually contracting, but it was difficult to confirm that the heartbeat had completely returned. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation was performed for 7 minutes, but eventually the death sentence was issued once more.
In this patient, spontaneous circulation did not occur. However, it is explained that it can be seen as a new type of Lazarus syndrome in that the cardiac activity response was observed following death.
Professor Kim Hyeong-il said, “I know of no case reported in the overseas academic world where only the electrocardiogram returned from a patient who was declared dead due to cardiac arrest has never been reported.” suggested,” he said.
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 reports. Previously, in Korea, two cases presumed to be Lazarus Syndrome were reported through the media in 2014 and 2017, respectively, but were not published as papers.
Professor Kim Hyung-il said, “Lazarus syndrome is a phenomenon that is handled with care because it can cause misunderstandings among caregivers of patients. .
He continued, “However, as this is a medically defined phenomenon, the exact concept must be known and countermeasures must be actively studied.” I recommend doing it,” he said.
