RETURN TO LIFE: A CASE OF THE LAZARUS PHENOMENON

ABSTRACT

SESSION TITLE Shock and Sepsis in the ICU Case Posters SESSION TYPE Case Report Posters PRESENTED ON 10/19/2022 1245 pm - 0145 pm INTRODUCTION: The Lazarus Phenomenon, also known as auto-resuscitation, is a rare event where cessation of CPR results in a delayed return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC). The phenomenon was named after the story of Lazarus, who was restored to life four days after death. We present a case of a 78-year-old male who presented to the hospital for septic shock and had intra-hospital cardiac arrest with ROSC after cessation of CPR. CASE PRESENTATION 78 year old male with a medical history of paroxysmal atrial fibrillation, stage IIIA NSCLC and COPD, presented for progressive dyspnea. He complains of feeling weak with loss of appetite and had a recent mechanical fall. Initial vital signs were temperature 96F, BP 141/78, HR 75 bpm, RR 18/min, SaO2 100% on 2LNC. Initial labs showed lactic acid 11.6, BUN 55, creatinine 3.7, CO2 9, anion gap 25, AST 2654, ALT 2120, ALP 159, total bilirubin 0.8, troponin <0.1, CK 399, INR 4.2, PTT 36, WBC 16.5, Hb 10.8, and plt 202. COVID-19 testing was negative. CXR demonstrated a retro-cardiac opacity consistent with previous diagnosis of lung cancer versus a dense consolidation. He was started on antibiotics for sepsis and admitted to the ICU for his metabolic status and shock liver. He remained hemodynamically stable for a few hours until a he had sudden onset of unresponsiveness with asystole. Code blue was called. Repeat labs demonstrated lactic acid 15.5, potassium 6.3, CO2 9. He underwent resuscitation for 32 minutes when compressions were stopped. Within 5 minutes post arrest, sinus activity was noted on the cardiac monitor. The patient had a radial pulse on evaluation. Manual blood pressure measurement was 119/71 with a HR of 99. Arterial blood gas after ROSC showed a pH 7.0, pCO2 68, pO2 273, HCO3 16, lactic acid 19. A few hours later, the patient rapidly de-compensated and underwent resuscitation for a second time. Efforts were deemed futile and the patient expired. DISCUSSION: The physiologic description of the Lazarus phenomenon is yet to be fully elucidated. Hypotheses include auto-PEEP due to rapid manual ventilation generating increased intrathoracic pressure and decreased venous return, delayed drug effect and stunned myocardium during active chest compressions (1). Once chest compressions and positive pressure ventilation via manual bag-mask stops, sudden decrease in intrathoracic pressure allows for sudden venous return and re-perfusion of cardiac tissue, resulting in ROSC in some cases. A recent literature review cited 65 published cases over the past 30 years with the most common rhythm being asystole (2). Most cases of auto-resuscitation occurred between 5-10 minutes post stopping of chest compressions (2). Mortality of these cases were 70% post resuscitation (2). CONCLUSIONS: It is important for clinicians to be aware of the Lazarus phenomenon post resuscitative efforts and to observe patients carefully post resuscitation. Reference #1 Adhiyaman V, Adhiyaman S, Sundaram R. The Lazarus phenomenon. J R Soc Med. 2007;100(12)552-557. doi10.1177/0141076807100012013 Reference #2 Gordon, L., Pasquier, M., Brugger, H. et al. Autoresuscitation (Lazarus phenomenon) after termination of cardiopulmonary resuscitation - a scoping review. Scand J Trauma Resusc Emerg Med 28, 14 (2020). https//doi.org/10.1186/s13049-019-0685-4 DISCLOSURES No relevant relationships by Vincent Chan No relevant relationships by Mackenzie Kramer No relevant relationships by Nathaniel Rosal No relevant relationships by Laura Walters No relevant relationships by William Ward