"Lazarus Maneuver"

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Has anyone ever seen this happen? I have heard from a couple of nurses that sometimes as a person is approaching death or even dead, they reach up with both of their arms. Just wondering if anyone could offer some input. Personally this would freak me out if I saw it happen.

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Specializes in Medical and general practice now LTC.

can't say I have ever seen this move but what I have seen many times is the patient waiting for their family to leave before they die.

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Specializes in Critical Care, Cardiothoracics, VADs.

Nope, they sometimes moan and groan as you turn them to wash them, as the gases pass out, but never seen them raise their arms - I think that would freak me out too!

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Yes, I have seen this happen. And let me tell ya, the first time it DID freak me out!! The first time it happened the man had, for the most part, been unresponsive for days. He opened his eyes, lifted his head slightly, smiled, said his deceased wife's name, and reached up with both arms, then died.

The second time I saw it happen it was a lady who was post CVA with left sided weakness. She reached up with her rt arm, partially with her lt arm, no other action, then she died.

In the ICU I've seen all kinds of wild stuff like that happen.

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Yep, my grandma did this when she was dying.

She was so weak, unable to even feed herself, converse with others etc when she did this. It freaked the hell out of my mum. She sat upright, lifted her arms up and smiled. She passed the next morning.

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Specializes in Med-Surg.

I've seen dying patients towards the last day perk up a little bit before slipping in the final coma, but nothing like that. I would definately be spooked.

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I think it has something to do with abnormal posturing.. see GCS. who knows............ Another strange thing about the dying, it is so spooky when people know they are going to die, when they say that.. Watch out.

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Wow that is so crazy. I wonder if this has ever been actually studied before. I mean... seriously how can it happen to these people who are comatose/brain dead and the such?? ahhhh

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