'Dead' man found alive after 7 hours slips into coma

The man was declared dead following a speeding accident and was moved to a freezer at the mortuary of the Moradabad district hospital

A 40-year-old man who had been kept in a mortuary freezer at the Moradabad district hospital for more than seven hours after being presumed dead has now slipped into a coma.

The man, Srikesh Kumar, is currently admitted to the Lala Lajpat Rai Memorial (LLRM) Medical College in Meerut after his sister-in-law saw movement in his body and found him to be alive, even as doctors at the Moradabad district hospital had declared him dead. The family is yet to lodge a complaint against the district hospital staff for alleged negligence.

RC Gupta, Principal, LLRM Medical College, said, "Srikesh Kumar has developed a blood clot in his head and may require surgery in the future. The condition of the patient is still critical and he is on ventilator support. We have put him under conservative treatment at the moment as it is not safe to operate because of a bleeding disorder."

Also read — 'Dead' man found alive after 7 hours in mortuary freezer

Kumar's elder brother, Satyanand Gautam, a dentist, said, "We also do not want surgery at the moment because his body is still weak as a result of excessive blood loss. He has been given three units of blood so far. His vital organs are functioning normally at the moment and we are all praying for his recovery."

Kumar, an electrician, was hit by a speeding motorbike following which he was taken to the district hospital on the night of November 18. The doctors had declared him dead and the following day, he was put in a freezer.

Nearly seven hours later, when a panchnama or document signed by family members after identifying the body and agreeing to an autopsy was to be filed by the police, Kumar's sister-in-law, Madhu Bala, noticed that he was showing signs of movement.

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In a video that went viral, Bala can be heard saying, "He is not dead. How did this happen? Look, he wants to say something, he is breathing."

Kumar was then taken to Meerut for treatment.

Gautam said, "When we call his name, he responds, which is a positive sign that shows that a part of his brain is still responding. The only problem is that he is having a high fever and there is always the risk of an external infection as his immunity is low. Therefore, heavy antibiotics are being given to him."

Moradabad's chief medical superintendent, Dr Shiv Singh, had said that it could be a case of "suspended animation", where there is a temporary cessation of many vital organs without death, which could lead to such "extraordinary situations".

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