What happens when we die? This philosophical question has baffled almost every person. Scientifically speaking, death is not just referred to as the loss of an organism's life but as the termination of all biological processes needed to sustain a living thing.
The state of human death has always been a mystery and linked to superstitious beliefs in various cultures. Regardless of the cultural and legal perspective of death, everybody knows that this event is irreversible, and a person who dies cannot return to life. But there are strange cases of people who were brought back to life after being pronounced dead.
The Strange Case of a Spanish Woman
This event happened in Galicia, a community in the most northwestern region of Spain. A 77-year-old woman named María Berta Rodríguez did have diabetes and underwent heart surgery, which is not unusual for a person of her age.
In April, something unexpected happened when Rodriguez felt dizzy and began to sweat, interpreted as a sugar drop by her son Kiko García. The family members sought the help of the Red Cross, and by the time the healthcare workers arrived, Rodriguez had already lost consciousness.
Her blood pressure and vital signs suggest that Rodriguez is dead. Garcia carried her upstairs to be laid in bed, but something amazing happened as he wept into her lap. Rodriguez began to move until she gradually breathed and reacted. Upon bringing her to the hospital, the doctors suggested she experienced a syncope.
Rodriguez was sent home after spending a night in the hospital. She remembers nothing from her experience besides the dizziness and waking up in the hospital. Since then, her memory seemed to fade, but she can still return to normal life.
According to Johns Hopkins Medicine, syncope is another term for fainting or passing out. A person who has syncope becomes unconscious and lifeless but soon recovers.
The temporary loss of consciousness usually occurs when a person experiences hypotension or low blood pressure. When this happens, the heart cannot pump enough blood to the brain leading to oxygen deprivation in this organ. Several factors, such as a sudden drop in blood pressure, a decrease in heart rate, and changes in the amount of blood in some parts of the body, can also trigger it.
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Rising Back from the Dead
Several stories have been reported where a person returned to life after being unconscious for several hours. In most of the documented cases, it was found that the person who seemingly died and lived again actually suffered from Lazarus Syndrome. Also known as autoresuscitation, this condition is defined as the delayed return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) in a person after the cardiopulmonary resuscitation procedure has been stopped.
Lazarus syndrome was named after a Biblical character who came out of his tomb alive and healthy four days after his death. A person who has suffered from it restarts their blood circulation after their heart stops beating, making them look like they have come back from the dead. As of February 2022, the number of reported cases of Lazarus syndrome worldwide does not exceed 100.
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