Lazarus Sign Traditional Cache

The Lazatus sign or Lazarus reflex is a reflex movement in brain-dead or brainstem failure patients, which causes them to briefly raisa their arms and drop them crossed on their chests (in a position similar to some Egyptian mummies).

The phenomenon is named after the Biblical figure Lazarus of Bethany, whome Jesus raised from the dead in the Gospel of John.

Like the knee jerk reflex, the Lazarus sign ia an example of a reflex mediated by a reflex arc - a neural pathway which passes via the spinal column, but not through the brain. As a consequence, the movement is possible in brain-dead patients whose organs have been kept functioning by life-support machines, precluding the use of complex involuntary motions as a test for brain activity.

It has been suggested by neurologists studying the phenomenon that increased awareness of this and similar reflexes "may prevent delays in brain-dead diagnosis and misinterpretations."

The reflex is often preceded by slight shivering motion of the patients arms, or the appearance of goose bumps on the arms and torso. The arms then flex at the elbows before lifting to be held above the sternum. They are often brought from here towards the neck or chin and touch or cross over. Short exhalations have also been observed coinciding with the action.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lazarus_sign