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Author: Bill Christian, MS-III
Ross University School of Medicine
AAEM/RSA Social Media Committee
A 27-year-old male is brought into the emergency department (ED) in asystole after collapsing while allegedly using intravenous drugs. At the scene, emergency medical services (EMS) gave him naloxone, after which he regained pulses. However, on arrival to the ED, the patient’s respiratory rate decreases, and he subsequently goes into cardiac arrest. He is pronounced dead after attempting resuscitation for twenty-five minutes in which he remained asystolic with no respiratory effort. One minute later, the patient has return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC), is intubated, and transferred to the ICU. He eventually makes a full recovery with no neurological deficit. This is an actual case of Lazarus syndrome, also known as auto-resuscitation after failed cardiopulmonary resuscitation.[1]
