A doctor has stated that a person can be revived several hours after they appear to be dead. This opens up hope for saving lives from the clutches of death.
Carol Brothers, 63, cannot precisely recall the moment she passed away. However, her husband, David, has a clearer memory of that day three months ago when he opened the door to their home in Wiltshire and found his wife sprawled on the floor, gasping for breath, her complexion quickly turning pale, and her heart stopped.
Fortunately, an older neighbor who was familiar with the basics of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) quickly implemented those techniques.
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An ambulance also arrived quickly afterward. Approximately 30 to 45 minutes after Carol suffered a stroke (no one remembers the exact timing), her heart began to beat again.
“While 45 minutes is long enough for many to believe they have permanently lost her, we now know of cases where individuals have been revived from the brink of death 3, even 4-5 hours after clinical death and went on to live well,” stated Dr. Sam Parnia, director of the research in resuscitation at Stony Brook University.
Most people equate cardiac arrest with death. However, this is not the end of life.
Doctors have long believed that if someone’s heart stops for more than 20 minutes, their brain typically suffers irreparable damage. But, according to Dr. Parnia, this phenomenon can be mitigated through effective CPR techniques and careful post-resuscitation care.
Dr. Parnia emphasizes the importance of compressing the chest at the correct rate and with appropriate force to prevent air from being trapped in the lungs. CPR techniques can be supported by machinery, and doctors also have new methods to care for patients once their hearts start beating again.
As Dr. Parnia explains in his new book titled “The Lazarus Effect” (or “Erasing Death” in its U.S. edition), after the brain stops receiving a regular oxygen supply through blood circulation, it does not perish immediately but enters a hibernation state—a way to combat the process of self-decomposition.
The process of “awakening” the hibernating brain can be the riskiest moment since oxygen can be potentially toxic at this stage. Dr. Parnia describes this effect as akin to the impact of a tsunami following an earthquake, and the best response is to cool the patient from 37 degrees Celsius down to 32 degrees Celsius.
“Cooling therapy is indeed effective as it slows down the degradation process of brain cells,” Dr. Parnia added.
