Doctors claim that the man came alive after 5 hours (Image: East2West)
A “clinically dead” man in remote Siberia has been brought back to life after spending more than five hours in sub-zero temperatures. Doctors say this extraordinary case shows how extreme cold can preserve life.
The unnamed man, believed to be drunk on vodka, fell asleep on a bench in Mirny, Yakutia – the world’s coldest populated region – as temperatures dropped to around -20 degrees Celsius. Later passers-by noticed that he was not breathing and called an ambulance. When physicians arrived, they recorded no heartbeat, no blood pressure, and a “flatline” on the electrocardiogram – all signs of clinical death.
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This man was found in Siberia in conditions around -20C (Image: Getty)
Instead of declaring him dead, doctors at the hospital in Mirny, Russia’s diamond capital, began a complex resuscitation using a special rewarming technique developed for Arctic conditions.
He was taken to hospital, where anesthetist Dr Dmitry Bosikov led a careful four-hour procedure to raise his body temperature from 24 °C to 34 °C.
“The rewarming method is based on gradual thawing, avoiding damage to the smallest blood vessels, as damage to the microvascular network can lead to heart attack, cerebral edema, kidney failure, and death,” a statement from the hospital said.
It said: “Over the course of 4 hours, the man’s body temperature was raised from 24 degrees Celsius to 34 degrees Celsius. It was a co-ordinated, painstaking and technically impeccable effort.
“From the moment the temperature reached 34°C, advanced cardiopulmonary resuscitation was initiated – chest compressions, mechanical ventilation, and administration of drugs to stimulate circulation.
“After 25 minutes of resuscitation, a faint sign of life appeared on the monitor – ventricular fibrillation.”
Overall, doctors said “life returned” after five hours and 34 minutes.
Initial fears were of serious organ damage, but after being in a coma for 24 hours, the man regained consciousness.
His kidneys were functioning normally and no major systems were impaired.
He was discharged after just five days.
Doctors say the case sheds light on a little-known principle: Patients with severe hypothermia can sometimes be revived long after appearing dead.
Extreme cold can slow the body’s demand for oxygen, effectively protecting the brain and vital organs – but only if patients are handled carefully and warmed slowly.
The hospital attributed the survival to the coordinated response of paramedics and its special rewarming protocols.
The man’s identity and age have not been disclosed.
