Man declared dead 'wakes up moments before autopsy'

A man who 'died' in a car crash in India reportedly woke up just moments before his autopsy.

The autopsy was just about to begin on Himanshu Bharadwaj, who had been pronounced dead by doctors, before a pathologist detected a pulse.

Bharadwaj had been seriously injured in a car accident. After his condition worsened in hospital, he was first declared brain dead and then medically dead.

He was kept in the mortuary overnight before the planned post-mortem, reports Daily Bhaskar.

Dr C Gedam of the Chhindwara District Hospital said the man continues to be brain dead and still needs treatment, telling News 18:

The man was declared brain dead and upon his arrival at Chhindwara hospital his respiration was dysfunctional and the pulse was also missing. However, his respiratory organs began responding this morning.

At times, in brain-dead patients, the heart and the respiratory system stop functioning transiently, which seems to be the case here. Himanshu is still brain dead. Thus, we have referred him to Nagpur due to lack of sufficient facilities locally.

The publication reports that large crowds are gathered outside in protest, accusing the hospital of negligence.

Meanwhile, Bharadwaj's family are thanking a "miracle".

HT News 18

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