A person rescued from icy water after 25 minutes of submersion shows no breathing, no pulse and fixed dilated pupils, yet recovers completely with resuscitation. The phenomenon responsible is:

• A Molecular death being instantaneous
• B Suspended animation of the apparent death type ✓
• C Delayed somatic death
• D Vagal inhibition causing irreversible arrest

Explanation

Suspended animation is a condition in which vital functions are reduced to a minimum incompatible with clinical detection, mimicking death, yet life persists and can be restored. It is classically seen in drowning, especially in cold water, electrocution, hypothermia, anaesthesia and the newborn. Hypothermia slows cerebral metabolism enough to tolerate prolonged anoxia, which explains complete recovery after 25 minutes of submersion, a duration that would otherwise cause brain death.

Reference: Parikh's Textbook of Medical Jurisprudence, Forensic Medicine and Toxicology, 7th ed.

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Written and medically reviewed by the StethoPrep medical team.