"Dead" man wakes up under autopsy knife

[snopes]

A Venezuelan man who had been declared dead woke up in the morgue in excruciating pain after medical examiners began their autopsy.

http://uk.reuters.com/article/oddlyE...49975820070914

[Troberg]

Well, considering the alternative, he shouldn't complain.

[Rocketship]

Originally Posted by Troberg

Well, considering the alternative, he shouldn't complain.

The alternative being that the paramedics recognized he was still alive? That he woke up in a hospital room instead of in the morgue?

I think he has a right to complain.

[Dark Blue]

where examiners began an autopsy only to realize something was amiss when he started bleeding. They quickly sought to stitch up the incision on his face.

I wonder if they do autopsys different in other parts of the world. Every one I have seen has started with a Y cut across the chest.( regardless of apparent cause of death)

Having seen how deep and long those cuts are, if you wern't dead and had feeling it would be discovered in short order.

[quiltsbypam]

Sounds rather like the Stephen King short storm "Autopsy Room 4." Ewww.

[Troberg]

The alternative being that the paramedics recognized he was still alive? That he woke up in a hospital room instead of in the morgue?

No, the other alternative being that he was dead and was about to get carved up.

[Lainie]

Originally Posted by Troberg

No, the other alternative being that he was dead and was about to get carved up.

That's just it: there were two alternatives. I imagine is he grateful he's not dead, but I wouldn't expect him to be grateful that was misdiagnosed as dead and sent for an autopsy.

[1958Fury]

Originally Posted by Lainie

That's just it: there were two alternatives. I imagine is he grateful he's not dead, but I wouldn't expect him to be grateful that was misdiagnosed as dead and sent for an autopsy.

You know when you put "grateful" and "dead" in the same sentence that way, you give me earworms.

[Lainie]

Originally Posted by 1958Fury

You know when you put "grateful" and "dead" in the same sentence that way, you give me earworms.

You're welcome.

[Insensible Crier]

Random bit of trivia but this exact situation happened in a episode of CSI a few years back. At the morgue they cut into a patient, noticed he was actively bleeding and resusitated him. Hopefully it works out better for this guy because the one on CSI died (again) later in the episode.

[vanilla]

Originally Posted by Insensible Crier

Random bit of trivia but this exact situation happened in a episode of CSI a few years back. At the morgue they cut into a patient, noticed he was actively bleeding and resusitated him. Hopefully it works out better for this guy because the one on CSI died (again) later in the episode.

As did a hated lawyer in Crossing Jordan (the "second" death totally took me by surprise). I wouldn't be surprised if the majority of morgue related shows all have this as a story premise at least once.

[Artemis]

It was also on an episode of Alfred Hitchcock Presents. They figured out he was alive when they saw tears running down his face.

[Astra]

Originally Posted by Dark Blue

I wonder if they do autopsys different in other parts of the world. Every one I have seen has started with a Y cut across the chest.( regardless of apparent cause of death)

Having seen how deep and long those cuts are, if you wern't dead and had feeling it would be discovered in short order.

It can vary, although the Y-incision is pretty common. If he had obvious head trauma though, perhaps the doctor thought starting there might make more sense than doing the Y-incision first. In this case, probably very lucky for the patient.

[1958Fury]

Originally Posted by Artemis

It was also on an episode of Alfred Hitchcock Presents. They figured out he was alive when they saw tears running down his face.

Yeah, King said his "Autopsy Room 4" was a remake of Hitchcock's story. Only King replaced the tear with an erection.

[Lainie]

An episode of Dead Like Me featured a man whose soul was stuck inside his body throughout his autopsy and for some time afterward because novice reaper George didn't "reap" him (take his soul out of his body) when she was supposed to.

Originally Posted by Artemis

It was also on an episode of Alfred Hitchcock Presents. They figured out he was alive when they saw tears running down his face.

Didn't he die, though, when the mortician's assistant (who wasn't present for the discovery) "finished the job" while they were waiting for the ambulance?

Originally Posted by Lainie

An episode of Dead Like Me featured a man whose soul was stuck inside his body throughout his autopsy and for some time afterward because novice reaper George didn't "reap" him (take his soul out of his body) when she was supposed to.

I literally just watched that, randomly, last night. First Dead Like Me episode I've seen.

[Cervus]

It's also been the basis of an episode of Tales From the Crypt.

[Artemis]

Originally Posted by omnilynx

Didn't he die, though, when the mortician's assistant (who wasn't present for the discovery) "finished the job" while they were waiting for the ambulance?

I don't think so, at least not in the one I saw. (It starred Joseph Cotten as the almost dead guy.)

They did apparently remake it in 1985, with John Heard. I haven't seen that one, but maybe that's what you're remembering?

Sounds like it's been done several times; no knowing which I'm remembering.

[annabohly]

Also, he sould be grateful that the autopsy was done. They could have just buried him. Imagine him waking up then.