To make sure the person’s brain is dead or still alive, the doctor removes him from the ventilator to find out whether he attempts to breathe on his own due to the effects of carbon dioxide. After doing this, the person’s arms vibrated and the skin wears also stood up. Then after a few moments, hands got up, arms turned to elbows and it felt like … the person is alive!
He is not breathing when removed from the ventilator, but there is muscle twitching and movement. Can it be considered a life mark? The answer is ‘no’. The ICU specialist-doctors call this sign Lazarus sign. Named after the character named Lazarus in the Bible, who was ‘resurrected’ by Jesus Christ. The brain that died died. Brain-death is death, death itself. Finding any sign of life in a brain-dead person can surprise and confuse people. In such a situation, people may question the doctor’s death declaration. At times, an unpleasant situation can also arise.
The Lazarus sign is not actually controlled by the brain, it is the reflex that controls the spinal cord. After the brain dies, the spinal cord can survive and due to its active nerves, a slight flutter in the hands and feet can sometimes be found. But since the person is dead in all trials and is now brain-dead, he will be considered dead. Lazarus sign is an illusion of the body, it is not a sign of a person being alive.
