Buried Alive?

---

All dead, or just 'mostly dead?'

At age 91, Janina Kolkiewicz's heart stopped beating, and she was no longer breathing. She was declared dead. But eleven hours later, she woke in the hospital morgue asking for tea and pancakes! As crazy as it sounds, she's not the only one to ever 'wake up' from death.

The Lazarus phenomenon (or Lazarus syndrome) is defined as a delayed return of spontaneous circulation after CPR and life-resuscitating efforts have ceased. In other words - people who have been pronounced as medically dead experience an impromptu return of cardiac activity.

The phenomenon is named after Lazarus of Bethany, who - according to the New Testament of the Bible - was brought back to life by Jesus Christ four days after his death.

Since the first documented case of Lazarus phenomenon in 1982, there have been over 38 reported cases. In around 82% of Lazarus cases to date, ROSC occurred within ten minutes of CPR being stopped, and around 45% of patients actually experienced good neurological recovery.

So what causes this to happen? There are a few theories.

One thing is certain: Kyle's heartbeat won't be returning anytime soon...though she could definitely go for a sandwich!

Source: Medical News Today