How Doctors Redefined Death

[@MedlifeCrisis]

At work 7 (seven!) people in a row told me I look tired. I mean, literally the first thing they said to me. No "hey how's it going?" just "wow you look AWFUL didn't you sleep?" This is what making these fricking videos is doing to my face. I'm actually only 14 years old I've just been aged horrifically by KZbin. This is my roundabout way of saying I'm hugely grateful to my sponsors CuriosityStream & Nebula for allowing me to make these videos. $15 for a whole year of both is honestly amazing curiositystream.com/medlife code 'medlife'.

[@mahmood2603]

Damn

[@MalloryKnox.]

Your sense of humour is fantastic

[@israel963]

Well I didn’t WANT to say I got that hypothermia victim feeling about you, but if paradoxical undressing fits you, might as well wear it 🤷‍♂️

[@lebowski_dude]

14 years old with 2 kids? Sounds like you should be in an entirely different sort of video...

[@shantiponks]

Spectacular video as always Dr. Francis. Tomorrow is my first day as a medical student (“M1” here in the states) - your videos are a treasure. Wishing you and your family well.

[@ximecreature]

Wow, that episode... breathtaking. My mom ended her own life. By her definition, life is a choice. Her mum, a few years after, got cancer, probably because of the pain, and didn't fight it. To her, life was a burden. One of my best high school friends died because of a fight at a party. Someone pushed him, he was drunk, and knock his head so badly he never got up. To him, life is a fragile thing. Last year, I stayed by the bed of my grandmother for the last two weeks of her battle against cancer (that lasted five years). To her, life was a fight. I had a depression for six years and ended up winning. To me, life is the choice I took, the burden I carry, a fragile thing to preserve, a fight I'll end up loosing.

[@hellelujahh]

Don't stop. Through your writing I see a deep, poetic mind full of empathy. The world needs people like you.

[@flagmichael]

As we age, death naturally becomes more of a promise than a threat: we don't have to do this forever. Immortality is a dream of the young.

[@drawapretzel6003]

fuck you and your onions, i wasnt prepared for this

[@juliaconnell]

Wow - your words - your experiences and perspective - breath taking - thank you for sharing ❤

[@ethan-kr3ob]

Thank You for sharing Your life story. And I feel sorry for Your loss I hope that life will made You happy again and love and hope and perhaps faith give You strenght. Yes I thought about life before like this, it's kind of a physically instable state. on the other hand life can be resillient/robust at the same time. even trees share the same quality.

[@JimJimJimJim]

My wife died recently, after a long process with several false alarms and ICU restarts over some months. In the last event, after some time a doctor was called in to pronounce time of death. He looked into the eyes with a bright light, examined other things. Then he took a stethoscope and tried for a pulse in the wrist, and then the neck. Then he placed it on her chest - no problem. Until he glanced at his watch, then maintained his pose for about a minute. All family nearly had a heart attack. The only reason we knew for a watch was to count heartbeats. Was she alive again after all? Thankfully, we were not left in this state for long. Another glance at the watch: 'I pronounce death at 2:02am. Thanks once again for a video that will greatly help many people.

[@xaifer2485]

Im so sorry for your loss that last bit of hope from the watch is heart breaking, hope youre doing alright

[@juliaconnell]

Oh Jim, so sorry for your loss - and all the additional stress over months - her funeral sounds lovely - and such a wise and loving woman to have prepared what she wanted - save you from that additional burden My dad passed 22 years ago - my mum in her 80s very clear about what she wants done with her ashes Oh covid 19 - added such complications to an already stressful and painful time - Sending much love to you and yours from across the ditch in New Zealand - hope you all stay safe - we get the occasional new case arriving from overseas, but last I heard all under control - our thoughts are with you and other places still under lockdown - stay strong, stay safe xx

[@MedlifeCrisis]

So sorry to hear of your loss Jim. Best wishes to you and your family.

[@MayimHastings]

Can’t imagine how awful. I’m so sorry! You and yours are in my prayers ❤️

[@wordzmyth]

@@JimJimJimJim Covid funerals are so hard. I can only say from the perspective of watching a dear friends funeral and how alone her family looked, and we could not hug or support anyone. My friends name was Sharmila, I found pictures of my last visit with her unexpectedly on my phone. Technology has made our lives strange but also beautiful.

[@macmedic892]

Worst case I ever dealt with (I’m a paramedic): I brought a 19 y/o man to a nursing home. He attempted suicide by hanging (over a girl, naturally) but was found pulseless and apneic. He “survived” but with a feeding tube in his belly, and a trach cut in his neck for his vent. He had the same neurological response as a potato. No TV program ever shows that kind of CPR “save”.

[@user-yy3ki9rl6i]

Might be a little nosey here, but whats the reaction of the girl after knowing all of this?

[@lycaonpictus4433]

....

[@macmedic892]

R I don’t know. We were bringing him from a hospital to a nursing home; no family was there with him. The info was in his chart. Also, it was probably 15 years ago.

[@macmedic892]

R It still sticks with me as a “fate worse than death”, and also as a drastic permanent solution to a temporary problem.

[@user-yy3ki9rl6i]

I was also having that kind of urge to fade away. Not dealing with all earthly problems. Just silence and void. But then i remember i could just go to sleep. So i sleep

[@WhatsSoGreatAboutThat]

How tempted were you to have 3 minutes of silence at the end of the video before declaring it dead, because I refuse to believe you were 0% tempted!

[@MedlifeCrisis]

If only the algorithm was as indulgent of whimsy

[@Gruncival]

@@MedlifeCrisis It most likely wouldn't have been good for the monetization algorithm, but a topic as heavy as this (that you presented incredibly well) will hit a good subset of us with the impulse to respect those minutes of silence through to the end of the video. Plus for a number of us, it would have been an opportunity for quiet contemplation to digest the lecture (and possibly the food we ate while watching). Thank you for the work you do, Rohin.

[@hattielankford4775]

Countdown timer on screen, slooooow fade to black/fuzzifying throughout, grieving family demanding answers and hospital carrying on noises in the background that fades out in the last thirty seconds and transitions to the flatline sound. 😶☹️

[@mariahamilton5305]

I was recently with someone when they died and was there when the doctor came round to make it official. He explained he was going to treat them as though they were alive so I should not be taken aback, and then went through the checks you mentioned at the start of the video, calling the patient by name. I found it touching and comforting.

[@BobRooney290]

my mom died from stage 4 cancer in my arms at home. it was not a quick and easy death. i was her caregiver. i highly recommend that anyone having to deal with the upcoming death of their loved one is to have them in a hospital setting and have the nurses deal with it, for your mind's sake. trust me on this. the way my mom died in my arms has been so traumatic, that it has engulfed my mental anguish for 2 years now. the mental toll i pay is something i dont wish on anyone. it is so strong, that it is hard to suppress and has me waking up in the middle of nights.

[@runningfromabear8354]

@@BobRooney290 I don't have any regrets allowing my 12 yo son to die of stage 4 liver cancer at home surrounded by family. He was absolutely clear he didn't want to be in the hospital for his death and we carefully made plans. As his mother, there was so little I could give him but I could be there to hold him in his final days. It was traumatic but worth it. It was the kindest thing I could do for him.

[@Some_Awe]

i got really emotional near the end, i can't imagine what it must be like to make the choices you do. thank you

[@h8a1c3]

I got emotional too. This is such a fantastic KZbin channel.

[@bfunkt4313]

It was the dramatic music.

[@marklowden5054]

Superb video

[@thehereticalinvestigation]

@@bfunkt4313 nah, it's that something changes in Rohin's delivery when he says "these are all real patients of mine".

[@amyshoemaker8430]

@@h8a1c3 kzbin.info/www/bejne/mIHMo6mQr6x5eKc

[@haohuali8530]

The BEST medical channel on KZbin

[@shinigami8068]

Ay

[@remmyv1602]

Yup a real gem

[@heatherwanderer777]

My grandmother had a DNR and was at home being cared for by me. I picked her up to assist her to the toilet. I felt her heart stop while her chest was pressed against mine. I felt her die. Her neurons may have continued to spark for awhile (who knows), but I felt when she was alive in my arms and when she wasn't. Knowing CPR, knowing she had dementia, and had made a DNR while she was still mentally competent to do so it was still the hardest moment to let her finish dying instead of intervening. I set her down after her heart stopped, I held her hand, and after about 3 minutes I had a feeling that quintessential essence that made her HER was gone. I felt what some would call a soul, the thing that makes us who we are...was no longer present in the body and though I'm not a doctor, that's the moment I considered her having passed.

[@BeckVMH]

Sad, but interesting. And our condolences. Thanks for sharing.

[@flagmichael]

My wife was a geriatric nurse for most of her career. She would agree with you 100% on your view and course of action. Keeping a dying person alive when there is no conceivable future is obscene.

[@kerryjlynch1]

Thank you for sharing. I really admire anyone who can care the way you did. Your grandmother was lucky to have you.

[@juliaconnell]

thank you for being such a loving person to care for someone like that - to respect their wishes, as painful as it must have been for you, thank you for sharing, thank you for caring - thank you

[@louiscyfer6944]

that is called the brain function stopping, nothing to do with a soul

[@Driv3r96]

When you said: "These are all real patients of mine" You had a hint of a frown right afterwards. You're a good doctor.

[@abuslinky]

and use of a quantum metaphor that wasn't complete bullshit. That's rare,

[@upandatom]

That's so crazy about "just knowing". I can't imagine what it's like to work with death all day like you Rohin

[@allamasadi7970]

I have been watching all your videos during quarantine 😀

[@imseti7991]

I can second what he says but I can't explain it any better, lol

[@SerenaBluee]

Thankfully I do not deal with this at all regularly, but I was there the moment my grandfather passed after his battle with cancer and I can confirm that you somehow just know. It is impossible to explain why.

[@ColonelSandersLite]

That's definitely a thing. My grandmother was hanging on death's door for about two weeks. At the end, I walked into the room and looked at her and I just knew immediately that she was dead. I watched her for a good minute or two before I said anything to my grandfather, just to be sure, but I was pretty positive. It's a strange thing that's very hard to describe, but a person does have a pretty different look to them when they're dead. Maybe it's some combination of the way the muscles relax and the blood draining out of the face or something. I don't pretend to know the reasons for it.

[@NuntiusLegis]

I find it frightening that doctors think they "just know" instead of connecting an EEG.

[@patrickt2003]

The way you navigate medical ethics is excellently respectful, fair play to you. I'd imagine you have to put up with a lot of insincerity to do with religion in particular in your occupation, but you're extremely fair towards theology in your videos. It's impressive, as well as really appreciated- many people arent as fair as you with regard to these things. Please do keep up the good work mate!

[@ashtar3876]

Ye

[@Corporis]

This video answered a lot of the questions I had that popped up while while watching. Great work man!

[@MedlifeCrisis]

Ah nice, I'm glad I managed to anticipate a few! Any others that I didn't? Such an interesting field, keen to know what others think.

[@kola3758]

@@MedlifeCrisis Hello doc, and thanks for the video. I'm a fourth semester med student and have been struggling with the concept of death for some time now. So it appears that the medical consensus on death is when there's irreversible, complete loss of encephalon function. But how can one decide when that happens during CPR? Obviously doctors don't go through the brain death protocol every time they do CPR (and probably the brain still has minor function at that time), so where do you draw the line?

[@ericy4522]

@@MedlifeCrisis Very interesting & well made as usual! The spectrum of non-binary outcomes of resuscitation reminds me of the media's general presentation of the outcomes of COVID-19 hospitalisations. Long haul recovery & long term health complications are non-trivial possibilities which don't get discussed enough on TV/cable news. The other depressing takeaway was the seeming overwhelmingly negative effect of religion on health decisions, but I guess that's probably always going to be there to some extent. One question would be, when a novel surgical procedure is introduced, presumably it is extremely expensive in staffing & other resources, but as it's better understood, streamlined and almost becomes routine, how much do those costs reduce?

[@MerthanE]

@@MedlifeCrisis as the other guy said, it was perfect. Every time I wished a topic could be expanded you switched to what I was asking myself Another video I would love would be about both reflexes that braindead people still have and recognizing brain injury (like with the fencing position) in people.

[@wordzmyth]

@@MedlifeCrisis The demonstration of the boy showing such a huge reflex while brain dead was one of the most heartwrenching parts of this videi. He looked perfectly healthy, the blurring hid not just his identity but the damage that destroyed who he had been as a person. It is a jarring dichotomy.

[@evaz.5643]

That cardiopulmony bypass exists is amazing and has saved many lives. Without its invention, I wouldn't be alive today... Awesome video, by the way!

[@Len_M.]

globalnews.ca/news/7145359/hiker-heart-attack-calgary-cardiologist/ This happened recently to a guy out Hiking. He was saved on the Trail by the Dr that would perform his eventual Surgery. Pretty crazy.

[@kyetes.866]

Same!

[@blueferral3414]

After 20 years of EMS and 10 years of ICU nursing these are all questions I've had to deal with. I'm a strong believer in respecting Do Not Resuscitate orders.

[@flagmichael]

My wife worked in geriatric nursing much of her career, and she says the same thing. Families have a horrible habit of crying, "Don't let him die!" when the patient has no directives. Resuscitation on a 90 year old woman who succumbed to metastatic cancer is a tragedy. It would help if everybody understood they are documents and a scrap of paper or a tee shirt won't do. (Here in Arizona a metal bracelet can also be used.)

[@juliahlaemmer1001]

In November my mother was intubated and hooked up to a dialysis machine. She had evidence of rhabdomyolysis and wasn’t passing almost any fluids. She had gone into cardiac arrest 3 times, one of which it took the doctors and nurses 40 minutes to get her stable again. My parents are divorced, so my sister and I had to make the decision about continued care. We chose to let her pass peacefully the next time she was going to code. My mom was 54, and my sister and I 20 & 21. Death sucks. But my mother also had paranoid schizophrenia. We knew If she were to awake to a state of normalcy she would never cooperate with rehabilitation due to the paranoia. She hated hospitals. She already wasn’t living a “normal” life, but my sister and I agreed that she would likely be mentally suffering forever given we keep trying to go against nature. I can’t even imagine how she would have handled this pandemic with the paranoia. I find comfort that she is at rest and at peace and I feel that she is more of a mother now than she was when she was alive. That morning, I was on my way to an exam and I got a call from the hospital saying we should be on our way to possibly say goodbye. I deadass emailed my professors and apologized for my mom going into cardiac arrest and that I was going to miss class. I recently went back and found those emails and they were comical. Love the channel!

[@MedlifeCrisis]

I'm very sorry to hear of your mum's passing. You seem to have accepted and dealt with it really well. I lost my mum a couple of years ago, but I'm in my 30s. I also often think that I'm glad she didn't have to face the pandemic. Best wishes to you and your family.

[@juliahlaemmer1001]

@@MedlifeCrisis I can't relate to many peers in regards to my situation (thankfully so, love my friend's parents!) your response is comforting. That being said, my father has had his bladder, prostate and inguinal lymph nodes removed (now has an ileal conduit) and currently has a neph tube in one of his kidneys. (Creatinine was a 4, urologist dropped the F bomb.) He's not in super good health. Plus my sister has a heart murmur, asthma, and arrhythmia (just going based on what shes forwarded me from her doc? forgive me for incorrect language) so this pandemic has been extra stressful on me and my family. In addition, I'm applying to dental school right now, I just want to be a tooth doctor! In the US instead of waiving the MCAT and DAT for admissions purposes, we are still being forced to travel hours away to hotspots to take these exams to be eligible for admissions for this application cycle. Assuming you're reading this reply, I would encourage you to follow @EthicalStudents on twitter. Students for Ethical Admissions' mission is to have fair and safe admissions for these programs this cycle. We're trying to be known in #MedTwitter currently. For families like mine, traveling 3 hours for a 5-hour exam is not worth possibly bringing home this virus to my family.

[@thedeviouspanda]

I lost my mom at 20 as well. She was 56. It does make it hard to relate to other people your age. I have also gotten closer to my friend's family. I hope you and your sister are well.

[@PhilTruthborne]

My heart stopped during an operation when i was still a kid. I've always been unsure what to make of it. Unconcious and without a pulse i have been calling it temporary death all along, but it still feels... strange. Shouldn't death be the point of no return? And if so, that point is being further and further pushed away... It's a topic that still boggles me almost two decades later.

[@Asdayasman]

That kid at school always annoyed me when he said he'd died. Bullshit you've died Alex, death means you ain't coming back, and yet here you are, spouting your tripe.

[@darkfuji196]

Imo, I embrace it as a fun thing to say to weird people out. I was born "dead" by the old heart definition, and I love to say it as a piece of trivia. Made uni introductions a lot easier lol

[@pravinrao3669]

People are dead when they can't be made conscious. If from brain death people can be made conciousthen again by fixing brain then it is not death. You are dead when you are point without saving and only your clone can be created and your atoms are lost forever. If you wanna go one step further then when your atom have fused with anti mattor turned into photons then those photons spread in the universe and then they got redshifted and then they went in another black hole then you are truly dead cause nothing can bring you back. Death is only defined by how much we can put atoms back together to make someone conscious. Do note that if most of your atoms are from outside the parts of your brain which you took from when you originally died then also you are dead. Its just your clone walking.

[@cr10001]

I've been 'dead' for several hours by that definition, and so has everybody else who's ever had a heart operation. (Ever wonder how a surgeon could operate on a heart if it was bouncing around?). As to how they stop it, they 'poison' it, according to my cardiologist. (Those paddles they zap heart patients with don't do a restart, they actually stop it momentarily, in the event that it's fibrillating; it will start again on its own, any chance it gets).

[@koroshiya_1]

I guess that's why that call it a near death experience

[@DavidBennettPiano]

You really make me appreciate the passion and knowledge that must go into doctoring! Thank you for sharing your knowledge and experience. Brilliant videos 😃

[@Winterharbourmusic]

Fancy seeing another one of my favourite KZbinrs here!!

[@willtowers1532]

didnt expect the radiohead/beatles/bjork man here

[@thomascarroll9556]

@@Winterharbourmusic I know 🎹😖🎼🎶🎵in 13/23

[@jaygee6738]

My brother died in January. I was in the room when the doctor came in and pronounced. He did the same procedure described here. He said what he was going to do, and was very considerate and caring. Thanks doc. You were extremely caring of our feelings and I will value that forever.

[@Aima952]

One of my favourite legal/death facts is that in the UK we take 'no human is dead until a Dr confirms it' to the extreme. If you dig up a human skeleton (or part of one) you need to call the ambulance/doctor as well as a police officer to confirm the skeleton is actually dead. Even if you are digging in a known mass grave (more common in older English cities than you'd think) these laws often still apply!

[@nicklorigo3507]

this video was amazing!! ive seen lots of people pass in the ER and i understand the feeling. Only a handful of times that ive been in the middle of CPR and the patients hands flail up towards their chests and ive always wondered what that was about as it had sketched us all out, we would take that as a sign of rosc but when we checked for any pulses we had felt none. I remember talking to a gentleman who was incredibly sick and coming back from lunch to only find that he passed and that always blew my mind. Anyways so many stories lol. I think most people dont take into account the patients quality of life after a cardiac arrest, I can recall a time we did cpr on an infant for over an hour trying everything we could to accommodate the families plea for help. Thank you so much for your content!!

[@flagmichael]

The hour didn't help the patient but it did help the family. What a strange world.

[@james-blond]

Has anyone in the comments already mentioned, how amazing the animation and storytelling in this video is? In my opinion, it‘s got the perfect balance between funny DIY style and professional editing. Congrats. Ah, and by the way: The content was super interesting, too!

[@distincti0n87]

My mother sadly passed away earlier this year. It was just before Covid19 went global, hence incredibly fortunate enough to be by her side when she did. Even though I knew exactly the moment she died, my hand could still feel her pulse...?? I still don't know why..... Peace and love to all whom have lost their loved ones this year ❤

[@timlawn1]

As always, wonderful video. I had the good fortune of receiving a lecture from Anna Baggenhome. She was trapped in freezing water and her body was rapidly cooled as she drowned. She was put on ECMO 2 hours and 40 minutes later. At the time of her lecture, the only remaining symptoms from being "dead" for this time was slight nerve damage in her hands which slightly affected sensation. No lecture has ever been so deeply un-somniferous. (please do a video of the doubled edged sword of hypothermia - this topic is so interesting and so well suited a cardiologists understanding of the fascinating underlying physiology)(ps. also please make a video about autonomic conflict theory and drowning - if only because you might not have read into it and you would love it)

[@MedlifeCrisis]

I've done one on hypothermia! kzbin.info/www/bejne/n3fJYaKggN1jm9k Very envious of you having got a lecture from Anna.

[@KPG113]

"When does life actually end?" US doctors: "When the bank account dries up"

[@randomuser5443]

My family had an agreement where they just leave after 100k

[@vylbird8014]

The patient is diagnosed with 'apecunia,' from 'a' meaning 'without'...

[@terrythetuffkunt9215]

Yet they have the best healthcare in the world .. people desperate to get into America

[@KPG113]

DOG FACED PONY SOLDIER They're not exactly "desperate" to get in now, are they? Western Europe and Scandanavia have on par (if not better) Healthcare. Get off your patriotic high horse. Wake up. We suck.

[@vylbird8014]

@@terrythetuffkunt9215 People are desperate to get into America. More specifically, people from Mexico and South America. Well done, you are a better place to live than Guatemala. The American healthcare system is really pretty terrible for a country of comparable GDP. Just consider that life expectancy is longer in Cuba. You are being out-lived by a pseudo-communist country dealing with a decades-long embargo.

[@henkbarnard1553]

My mother (78) suffered a heart attack. I did CPR and the paramedics did manage to revive her (at 9 min). But in the end, she had too much brain damage. And I told the DR to let her go, which they did.

[@flagmichael]

A sad truth about CPR (we were taught at the semi-annual training) is that the great majority of victims die anyway, but we should try. The modern view is based on getting oxygen to cells, which requires keeping blood pressure up enough. The breaths have largely been removed as a detriment to maintaining blood pressure and not being all that important to oxygenation as long as compressions are maintained. You did good.

[@alextheasparagus6675]

This is so interesting! It feels weird to say "I like death" but I find subjects dealing with stuff around death very interesting. Imagine a collab with ask a mortician!

[@susannarita4259]

Yes yes! Caitlin is brilliant, I'd love to see them collab

[@KiaGreenEyes]

I second this! Love to see a collab with Caitlin!

[@KiaGreenEyes]

@Josh bicknell Hiya! :D

[@cockatoo010]

That would be AWESOME!

[@jensgoerke3819]

Remember that along with our birth certificate we also get a death certificate with a few blank fields - we are born, we die, the time in between is called life, so make the most of it. This may sound banal, but after surviving four strokes I've been close enough to value and enjoy life as long as it lasts without undue alarm and without taking unnecessary risks.

[@bobi_lopataru]

that's impressive

[@gregorymalchuk272]

What caused the strokes? Do you have clotting problems? Are you now on blood thinners?

[@jensgoerke3819]

@@gregorymalchuk272 Stress, probably. And yes, I've been on blood thinners for quite some time now.

[@ahntrjmpr]

You are, and this is deeply sincere, one of the best storytellers I've ever listened to.

[@joelhall5124]

The Lazuras reflex: I joked with my endocrinology professor (a "few" years back) that the ancient Egyptians buried their Pharaohs in that position because they believed the reflex actually signalled the point where the soul left the body. Very recently, a friend of mine who actually studies Egyptology brought this up while we were talking about the death process and I talked about some of the more unexpected things that happen. Reckon I might be onto something. Please don't steal my hypothesis. 😂

[@joelhall5124]

Just a correction, she was my immunology professor.

[@MedlifeCrisis]

No I have heard this before! I actually thought about vampires too - the same cross-armed position. And truth be told, I sometimes sleep like that. I bet there is something to your theory, seems too much of a coincidence.

[@joelhall5124]

@@MedlifeCrisis it does seem more realistic now I think about it, given cultures much removed from the modern west had more hands on experience dealing with death personally, and observation along with religious belief could influence cultural practices far more. I think in the modern West we've become distanced from the process of death and it doesn't play much of a role in our day to day lives, so it's more taboo, whereas cultures like the ancient Egyptians had elaborate practices, rituals, and mythology surrounding it mo doubt because it wasn't as far removed. Just a hypothesis, of course.

[@bonumonu5534]

From reddit: As you said, not every mummy had its hands crossed: "The arms of Predynastic mummies were bent at the elbows with the hands covering the face. Throughout the Old and Middle Kingdoms bodies were mummified with their arms at their sides, sometimes with their hands covering the pelvic area. The crossed-arm position is not generally found until the New Kingdom when it is reserved for royal males." From some university page, shortest sketch I could find. One correction has to be made: Commoners were not allowed to imitate Osiris (as eunichron said, mumification was a "deeply religous process") until the New Kingdom. The first account of a non-royal crossing of the arms we have dates to the 26th dynasty (Lee, S. and Stenn, F., 1978, "The Characterization of Mummy Bone Ochronotic Pigment", JAMA 240, 2, p. 136-138). I said Osiris - so yes, if his crossed-arm postion is modeled after a dead person (which I don't know), the Lazarus reflex might have indirectly caused the arm-crossing of certain mummies, via the imitation of the arm position of the God, himself having adapted the postion from a dead who initially displayed the reflex. What I can say with certainty is that, in this scenario, how great the Egyptian "doctors" might have been, they would not have changed the procedure because of a scientifc observation. If they did encounter the Lazarus effect, they would quite surely have thought it to be a sign of Osiris. But the whole procedure developed and changed, as did the positions of the arms. In fact, the positions of the mummy's arms were so different over the course of time that one P.H.K. Grey tried to build up a system for mummy dating on it. En passant he wrote probably the only summary of historic changes of dead people's arm (and hand!) positions. On JSTOR.

[@joelhall5124]

@@bonumonu5534 that's really interesting. Have to admit, not something I've delved much into. Thanks 😊

[@MalloryKnox.]

Your jokes have me dead

[@resinegg9203]

Lmao

[@patmcghee4726]

😂😂

[@davidsims3044]

Wish you'd spelt "your" right

[@MalloryKnox.]

@@davidsims3044 I've changed it now thanks

[@patmcghee4726]

RIP MALLORY

[@simplyme8009]

Thank you, Doctor. An intelligent, reasoned discussion based on facts, experience and the human condition. Shared insights with humor and compassion, a pleasure, as always. Thank you for the good work. Stay safe.

[@JohnWilliams-nx2no]

a heart surgeon with " yolo" knuckle tattoos might be the best thing ever

[@brucedeo1981]

easily your best video. The end of "superposition quantum state" of both alive and dead, where wave function collapses was the final treat

[@countryrat6t6]

Just now finding out about this channel. I need a Medlife Crisis + Ask A Mortician collaboration so, so badly after this episode! Caitlin Doughty is one of my favorite people on KZbin and Dr Francis is quickly making his way onto that list as well!

[@18jusba]

G'day Dr Francis, I've been told I was about to die (within the hour) twice. I had 8 operations last year where they gave me an 80% chance of not waking. Then cardiac surgery (again) in February this year. The hard thing was having to fill out forms and sign them, stating my resus choice and what to do with my body. I hated the stress it put on my daughter's and other loved ones. I don't envy you that side of your job. There's a huge difference sometimes between life, quality of life and a good outcome. Thank you for all you do

[@monabuu]

16:17 A doctor, youtuber AND a quantum physicist! My, my...

[@Fabian-mu3hq]

just thought the same, love it

[@jdd5672]

If only he used the term quantum state correctly...

[@FactoryofRedstone]

@@jdd5672 I would say even if he doesn't use the best words, he still got the general idea right that is not common to see. While Eigenstates (of the Live-Operator) would be correct, technically to say (quantum) state is not wrong though.

[@jdd5672]

​@@FactoryofRedstone Right but the eigenstates (plural) would only exist prior to observation, he says 'collapsing to the quantum state', as opposed to from which is where I am nitpicking the terminology.

[@markobajramoski5661]

I was looking for this comment :D

[@DrTuph]

I’ve been a viewer for a while and just wanted to put my appreciation for your channel into a comment. I love how educational and entertaining your anecdotes are. Keep it up 😊

[@morpheus2615]

8:48 I thank you very much for the text you put in your vids when you talk about medic stuff. English is not my first language and I don’t know Latin, but bonk on the head is perfectly understandable.

[@lebowski_dude]

Shout out for putting Akira in a video about redefining death 😎

[@Frostbiker]

Doctors' ability to cope with death and infirmity with stoicism will never cease to amaze me. Much respect.

[@madamhenry]

I’m really glad you touched on the morbidity associated with ROSC following cardiac arrest. Such an important consideration in DNAR decisions.

[@gabrielleshapiro2451]

I am trying to figure out a project for a research paper, and the study you showed gave me some interesting ideas to look into, thank you!

[@tylern6060]

Good luck!

[@JixedUp]

I didn’t come here to cry, I feel attacked by the ending of the video. That said, super interesting video, and so well explained! I look forward to watching more of you!!

[@flagmichael]

From a lay perspective, the initial stages of CPR are determinations that the victim is dead. Our job as first aiders is to hold death at bay until the professionals arrive, or occasionally until the victim resumes life. (I hail from Phoenix, Arizona, where a lot of drowning "deaths" in swimming pools can be reversed with resuscitation if the victim is treated in time.)

[@davedawson9851]

Eyup Rohin. Powerful stuff. A friend of mine is a semi-retired paediatrician who worked mostly at Jessop's in Sheffield. He bounces through life with great elan and has a filthy sense of humour. I suspect that he knows more than I do how lucky we are to meet and enjoy one another for long enough to be able to moan about our arthritis. I have learned much from him if only how to be very coarse and get away with it. He calls you lot 'butchers' by the way. Bloody paediatricians. Dave.

[@stevejones69420]

Time for some existential crisis

[@unity_talon]

*surprised pikachu face*

[@madil2259]

That's alright. I do.

[@bb-gb7jv]

I do.

[@baronvonhoughton]

Fascinating and brilliantly delivered.

[@SH-nc4is]

You got me. I'm not usually a joiner, but you provide real value. Thanks for creating such stellar content.

[@mflynn2009]

Outstanding should be mandatory viewing for nursing students. Well done doc.

[@thatwolfyouknow8598]

I found your videos a few days ago (actually it looks like I watched one of them quite a while ago, but I can't remember when) and I have been devouring them. I have no idea where you find the time to create such quality videos while also being a cardiologist. According to your comment, apparently you just don't sleep. Thank you for the time and effort. This particular video made me pause. Lately I have been talking with friends about how old we really want to get. I think that most of us don't fear actually dying (sometimes), but your point of fearing suffering comes up. We're bad at guessing what will make us happy in the future and what we can endure, but my friends and I agree that there's a limit to what we could tolerate for the sake of just being "alive"

[@idraote]

Wow, Doc, this was quite the heavyweight. And the moments when you discussed the non-binary outcomes of resuscitation were particularly grim. Great job, anyway. As always.

[@Roy-rk9zq]

I just arrived at your channel when I saw one of your comments on a Ryan George video, and this was set as your intro. God you just gave me emotional whiplash. But you've also piqued my interest.

[@tanyanguyen3704]

I don’t know how people aren’t scared of death. At fifty, it can keep me up at night. The idea of not existing, of not being any longer. My hubby said, “but you won’t know you don’t exist so why is it a problem”. “Yes,” I reply. Exactly. I won’t know. I won’t exist. Nothing will exist any more because the only reality that exists for me, is though my existence itself. It freaks me out. Like a meta me, that knows I don’t know. Sighs. I’m nuts.

[@adrien8572]

I feel kind of the same way. And to know that this state of non exsitence will last forever (try to imagine years, centuries, etc after your death) is quite scary.

[@becky2235]

I feel the same.....scared of death,who knows what happens afterwards. Don't like the idea of being cremated or stuck in the ground

[@emilyjanet455]

It's incredibly normal to have this fear. Death and nonexistence is a terrifying concept! You're hardly nuts. If you want to explore that fear, I super recommend the Ask a Mortician KZbin channel. Caitlin has made it her life's mission to help people learn about death, prepare for death, and make peace with their fear of death.

[@ErikB605]

Just ask yourself how bad all those years were before you were born. It's gonna be the same.

[@shenellelive7]

This keeps me up at night and I’m 24 like it really freaks me out

[@deepyaa3392]

Medlife Crisis is honestly the BEST medical channel on youtube! Actually, its ONE OF THE BEST channels I've ever come across, afterall the content is so unique, all your videos are absolute masterpieces! Also LOVE your sense of humour!

[@AlexDainisPhD]

I have wondered this a lot. Thank you for this thorough discussion.

[@MedlifeCrisis]

Alex! I didn't know you watched my stuff, I'm honoured! Congrats on the new series btw!

[@AlexDainisPhD]

@@MedlifeCrisis Thanks so much and yes! I'm the biggest lurker, I'm so shy about commenting, haha, but your videos are *so* good and this one really answered a lot of questions for me.

[@kerryjlynch1]

Thanks - this is one of your best. I'm a big fan, and have signed up for Curiosity Stream. You deserve a lot of support for helping people understand.

[@MerthanE]

Great video as always, those reflexes that braindead people still have always creeped me out. Could you make a more in depth video about that? Could also go into topics like recognizing brain injury by recognizing stuff like the fencing position Edit: and the other checks to see if someone is braindead and the degree (think I saw a medical training video on this once) would also be very interesting

[@samtravis4822]

Your videos just keep getting better. This was a fantastic combination of interesting, moving, insightful, educational, and profound. Keep up the great work

[@Screaminglemon631]

Man I wasnt expecting to cry to this. i kind of just put it on for background noise and now im sitting here contemplating "WHAT EVEN IS LIFE??"

[@BRUtahn]

Wow! You just randomly popped up in my Recommendations and i gotta say I'm blown away. Definitely subscribed.

[@Dalpidar]

Can people be conscious while on the blood oxygenator? I’m just thinking how weird it’d be to not have a pulse or even have to breathe

[@gregorymalchuk272]

They could be, like people on mechanical hearts, but in practice I suspect they are kept sedated.

[@Mhurilo10]

Huh... Must feel like an android

[@glonch]

I was bedside (along with my sisters and mother) when my father passed (complications from leukemia). It was 6:01am, at home. It wasn't until the hospice nurse arrived at 6:30am that he was pronounced dead. Thank god hospice explained this and many other things to expect prior to his passing. They really allowed us to be 'in the moment' while not worrying about the 'little things'. They were saints throughout the process. Awesome video, well done.

[@arthurmathews5554]

The perfect KZbin video: popular topic but qualitatively and deeply explored with expertise. Aka: nice video!

[@sparklingastral_2591]

After watching this I literally thought this video was 5 minutes long. This was so incredibly interesting, wow.

[@AWWx2]

As always a brilliant and provocative and thoughtful video. For the layman like me in his 70's you always teach me new stuff about medicine and life, and make me think as well. I just want you to know that I signed up for Curiosity Stream and Nebula the other day. Quite the bargain! Now I have so much more the see and learn about. Thank you for being part of it.

[@magnusbruce4051]

26%>25% This is the kind of education content I come to this channel to see.

[@mboeddy]

One of your best. Thanks for getting so tired by producing these very informative videos.

[@ibrahimbashimam9149]

Yaay new video! Cant wait to watch it after my study session!

[@larryg3326]

I was with my mother as she died in her home. It was time, sad but not a panic. I am an old man, I hope when my time comes it will be in much the same way. Thank you, this was good, thoughtful and thought provoking.

[@Pyropardus]

When my brother’s machines were turned off, the one thing I thought was how plastic/rubbery he looked after he passed, so that “the same but different” line is incredibly true. It was incredibly obvious he was not alive anymore. I can’t celebrate New Years anymore.

[@vickythecat1741]

Can you do a video on end-of-life decision making from a doctor's perspective? I truly believe this is the time we have to start talking about it; for loved ones but also for those who are working so hard to save our lives during this pandemic. Thanks for another amazing video!

[@userPrehistoricman]

Crazy. I was literally talking about this yesterday.

[@MedlifeCrisis]

I know

[@randomuser5443]

Medlife Crisis Oh lord

[@talons74]

I have only watched this one video of @MedlifeCrisis and did something I have never done before - I hit the bell. I am hooked.

[@bdf2718]

I only have my father's word on this... The first time he died of a heart attack they managed to resuscitate him in the ambulance. A year or two later he died again (another heart attack) and they couldn't resuscitate him. So they put him on a slab in the morgue with a tag on his big toe. Later he sat up and asked for a cup of tea. A year or two later he died of a heart attack. This time they cut him open. They claim it was an autopsy. I think they wanted to make damned sure he didn't come back to life again.

[@discipleoferis549]

"I only have my father's word on this..." So I guess he survived the alleged autopsy, haha.

[@bdf2718]

@@discipleoferis549 To be more accurate, I only have his word for the two resurections. The autopsy was related to me by my brother. He was more shocked than I thought he would be when I suggested they'd cut our father open to stop him coming back a third time.

[@gregorymalchuk272]

@@bdf2718 The being sent to the morgue while still alive story is crazy. Did they immediately take him to be put on clotbusters and for stenting? How did they think he survived? Was anybody punished?

[@bdf2718]

@@gregorymalchuk272 Why would they put him on clot busters or insert a stent when he was dead? Heart attack. All attempts at resuscitation failed. Tag-on-the-toe time. I have no idea how he survived. Faint, undetectable pulse? Major flatulence causing enough pressure waves to restart the heart? My money is on sheer bloody-mindedness - he was an awkward bugger. I don't know if anyone was punished.

[@ScienceLongevity]

An entertaining yet educational channel. This channel definitely deserves more subscribers!

[@gnatlou]

I really want to make this resuscitation choice clear for my relatives in the future - how would you go about this? Is it something you have to put in a will? I'm only in my twenties but terrified of being in a vegetative state

[@MedlifeCrisis]

Depending on where you live you can make a document called an advanced care directive or living will. Or you can designate someone to act as your advocate, by giving them power of attorney - ie they can legally say "I don't want her put on a ventilator" or whatever. Hopefully you won't need to worry about this for many many decades but absolutely no harm to think about these issues at any age.

[@gnatlou]

That's a great help thank you! I'm from the UK :)

[@flagmichael]

@@MedlifeCrisis Emphasis on "depending on where you live." Here in the US the rules vary by state but essentially take the form you describe. Here in Arizona it involves a DNR directive (a Prehospital Medical Care Directive on orange paper in case your heart stops) and a Living Will that provides instructions in case of incapacitation. (Simplified descriptions.)

[@thehocuspocus9]

I love this guy; his humour, humility. Thank you for doing this. We appreciate you.

[@mute8s]

Wow this has been such a good video except the fact you've been spying on me again. About a month ago I was talking with my friend who only has about 20-30% heart function and copd really bad and wondering why there wasn't a technology like ECMO. Well now I know there is. I guess the work needs to be done on making this into a portable unit so we can just totally work on becoming cyborgs. Aside from that you were talking about the looking exactly the same but totally different in my experience can happen before the body has technically stopped working. When my father died back in 2012 I had gotten a call from the hospital when I was about an hour and a half away and they needed me to come in and make the decision to take him off life support. He had massive organ failure from peritonitis. When I got in I was told that there wasn't anything that could be done and he was gone (even though he was still technically alive). His eyes were partially open but I could tell he wasn't there and never would be again. He looked the same but different. I gave the ok and they shut things off and I waited about 15 minutes and he still hadn't ceased breathing on his own and they told me I could leave and they would call me when it finally happened. I had about a 15 minute drive home and got the call before I made it home. I was very fortunate a he had been sick for a while and this didn't catch us off guard and the day before it happened I was able to say goodby because we knew it wasn't far off. We were very close which actually made it easier since we had time to mentally prepare. Anyhow I always immediately watch your videos when I see the notification as you make some of the best medical content on KZbin. Keep up the good work Rohin. You are amazing for only being 14 😉😂👍.

[@tinldw]

Portable ventricular assist devices do exist.

[@mute8s]

@@tinldw But do portable ECMO machines exist? Ones that not only take over the heart function but also the lung function and add o2 and remove co2 from the blood?

[@tinldw]

Ah, right, the lungs. You can assist the lungs with oxygen, though. Unless you were talking about replacing heart and lungs completely. Yeah, I don't think there are any useful devices for replacing the lungs. Carrying an external oxygenator is a bad idea. Just putting it inside won't help either. Lungs aren't nearly as simple as the blood pumps.

[@mute8s]

@@tinldw He just talked about a device that circumvents the lungs in his video (ECMO). It's just not a portable device and mainly used in infants or for extreme situations like lung transplants. The technology is there but now it just has to be made into some sort of portable device or an internal artificial lung. I'm not saying that's happening any time soon but it will happen someday if we don't wipe ourselves out first.

[@tinldw]

Among other things, ECMO requires blood thinning and strong antibiotics to partially counter risks of clotting and infection. You can't just carry an ECMO machine. To replace the lungs long-term, you would need an oxygenator that is capable of some self-regeneration, doesn't increase clotting, manages debris, supports immune response to the pathogens, etc.

[@akeillewis7515]

All the way from Trinidad (Caribbean). Always enlightening and the slight humor and sarcasm takes the edge off. Excellent work doc, really appreciate the well delivered and well thought out content.

[@DeneF]

Having had 2 MI's, I have told my wife to never let me live in a vegative state but she refuses to ever pull my plug. I fear that I might survive my next MI but in a bad way. Great video. Thanks.

[@rayaterry5365]

This was an excellent meditation on the meaning of death from a medical perspective. I am late to the game and have just discovered your content, but I am so far extremely impressed.

[@jaredstammy]

"Time of death, 2AM" is gonna catch someone out when they look at the time hahaha

[@MrOneofakind777]

It's 2:30 am when I finished the video and it caught me out a little haha

[@fabianofrombrazil]

Your best episode so far. The script is impeccable!!

[@realname2404]

Thank you so much for the video... I lost my grandfather 24 days before today. He suffered a cardiac arrest at 2 am. I gave him CPR before the vehicle came to take him to the hospital. They told me that her cake back to life after injecting adrinaline and performing CPR ( some code blue, don't know the exact term). He was put of a ventilator and he suffered from multiple cardiac arrests after the first one... He passed away early morning around 5 am. I was very close to him and I loved him very much. Was there something I could have done for him? He was perfectly alright and we never saw this coming..

[@MedlifeCrisis]

There's nothing you could've done. You did your best. I'm very sorry for your loss, I know how painful it is.

[@realname2404]

@@MedlifeCrisis thanks for the reply. It genuinely made me feel better. You're the definition of great doctor :). Once an old and wise doctor told me " sometimes a the patient that needs a treatment and not the disease". The strong bond of trust between a doctor and a patient seems long gone in our fast paced life but you're a glimmer of hope. Thank you for your reply Dr Rohit.

[@hexium_]

This video has both answered and raised questions I didn’t even know to ask. Excellent work and thank you for your care with your patients.

[@proverbialwhatever]

The way you pronounced "miserable bastards" was so experienced, as though it was culturally inherited. Great video as always.

[@mackieincsouthsea]

I love this channel so much it leaves me really conflicted, every time you upload I'm like "I really wish Rohin uploaded more" basically prioritising the occasional minor expansion of my medical knowledge and some of the greatest lols I get from KZbin over the patient's you clearly do so much more for. Your talent has such range it spins my moral compass. I think I need to go to bed 🤔

[@DomenBremecXCVI]

The medical definition of death is hard for me to have an opinion on, but from the more philosophical point of view, I really like the "You die when your name is last uttered out loud." definition.

[@johannesmajamaki2626]

Ohh, that's a fascinating thought! A *terrible* legal standard (family law would be a nightmare...) but a fascinating thought :)

[@SilverSeaOT7]

I enjoy this type of honest and thought provoking content. Thank you.

[@johndemeritt3460]

Two comments. First, I'd love to see a conversation between you, Dr. Francis, and Caitlin Doughty of Ask A Mortician. I think it would be fascinating to see how the two of you view death differently. Second, I caught the Schrodinger's Cat reference. It made me ask myself (quite inappropriately, I might add . . .), "What would Schrodinger's Catbox be like? Is poop both there and not there at the same time? Can you ever know without scooping?"

[@flagmichael]

As a (retired) career troubleshooter, I confidently say Schrodinger got it wrong. The cat is not simultaneously in both states, rather the state is indeterminate. (Consider the condition in which there actually is no cat, just a false statement that there is one.) If we try to work the two-state model into logic it produces all sorts of ridiculous conditions.

[@johndemeritt3460]

@@flagmichael, which is why I always try to obey Murphy's Law and love reading the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy "trilogy". Except for Mostly Harmless. But So Long and Thanks For All the Fish was great.

[@Li.Siyuan]

Moving, thought-provoking and extremely well-presented. Thank you.

[@dnakase]

I've let it be known to my (adult) children that if it's going to cost more than a good used car to keep me going, and by going I mean, in as good a shape as I was in before my ticker gave out, then figure dad has lived a long full life and pull the plug. I think your examples of revived corpses are horrific and I would hope I'm let die. For perspective I'm currently 65 and have the health of an 85 year old and getting pretty tired of my doctors not knowing why my quality of life isn't better.

[@davidashmore3929]

Another fantastic video, both educational and entertaining. I wish you and your channel all the best in the future.

[@khandarwilliam5439]

"why 26%? because it's MORE than 25%!" 2 decades of formal education did not prepare me for this mind blow

[@sweetchilliillygore1723]

This is quickly becoming not only my favorite medical channel, but favourite channel on the youtube. Thanks heaps man

[@Jesse__H]

"17 Again" is Dr. Z.D.A. Efron's seminal work.

[@rzeka]

I'm learning more from just one of your videos than I ever did in all my time in medical school. Also, I have never been to medical school.

[@BlazingMagpie]

So, in a way, Angel Beats (2010) had intention to promote the idea of heart transplant to the general public (or at least people watching anime).

[@TheLaura4422]

Man I loved that anime Also: interesting point of view 👍

[@Asdayasman]

I am on the organ donor registry because of that anime. What an emotional whiplash it was watching it. Fun times and comedy, then BAM, last episode and you are diagnosed with the feels. I cried for two straight hours.

[@caiohansen8711]

Whoa I haven’t heard that name for years now, still remember when it became the first anime/TV show/anything that ever made me cry as much as I did