“Is it possible to make a patient clinically dead for six minutes for an operation and then bring them back to life?”

There are frequent reports of bringing a dead body back to life. However, the notion of making someone dead for a few minutes and then reviving them is unheard of. Such an incident took place in Lucknow, India. According to the Times of India, a hospital in Lucknow performed a miracle! Doctors at King George’s Medical University made the impossible possible by operating on a patient who was made clinically dead for 6 minutes.

A year ago, two valves in the heart were replaced. But within a year, when they experienced chest pain, they approached a doctor. Upon examination, the doctors found a small hole in one part of the heart valve, which needed to be sealed quickly to prevent life risk. However, this was an operation that seemed minor at first, but sealing this hole could result in the patient’s death at any moment. It was at this point the doctors decided that to prevent death, the patient had to be made dead for a short period. This was not anesthesia but actually making the patient medically dead.

In this procedure, the patient’s body temperature was significantly reduced, making their body cold like a dead one. Blood circulation was stopped, and the brain was temporarily shut down using medication. The body temperature was brought down to 22 degrees Celsius. The patient was medically declared dead in terms of medical science. This procedure is called deep hypothermic circulatory arrest (DHCA). Undertaking this procedure essentially means killing the patient. This is what doctors at King George’s Medical University in Lucknow did. For the first time in this hospital, such a medical procedure was used. The 28-year-old young woman, Asha, was made medically dead for six minutes. During these six minutes, the doctors quickly performed the operation and then revived Asha’s body.##