Critical Care Commons^™

Lazarus Syndrome After Aortic Aneurysm Repair, Kevyn Niu, Jamie Lee Aldakkour, Charles Huyghues-Despointes, Yizhi Lin

HCA Healthcare Journal of Medicine

Introduction

Lazarus syndrome is defined as the spontaneous return of circulation after cessation of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). Though there have been multiple cases of Lazarus syndrome documented in the literature, it is a significantly underreported phenomenon with less than 100 cases reported in the literature since the first case in 1982.

Case Presentation

After elective aortic aneurysm repair, an 88-year-old with a do-not-resuscitate directive had cardiac arrest, briefly showing post-mortem respiration and pulse. Despite resuscitation efforts including pharmacological intervention and CPR, he passed away within an hour. This case highlights complexities in end-of-life care and warrants exploration of post-mortem physiological …