The incident began on the evening of 8/9 when the woman, who had a history of cerebral thrombosis for decades and was suffering from end-stage cancer, became motionless with weakened breathing. Doctors had previously determined no further treatment was possible, recommending she be taken home for palliative care. Unable to detect a pulse or breath, her relatives concluded she had passed away.

To await the arrival of distant children and grandchildren for a final farewell, the family placed her body in a cold storage coffin. They opted for a cooling mode instead of deep freezing, fearing the body would stiffen. A day later, her daughter-in-law, who was keeping vigil by the coffin, heard faint groans coming from inside. The family immediately opened the coffin, found her eyes open and weak vital signs, and quickly took her out.

Cold coffin. Illustration: ST Headline

Village authorities confirmed the incident, stating that the family's choice to only use the cooling mode helped her maintain survival reflexes while awaiting the gathering of relatives. Despite this temporary revival, she ultimately passed away on the night of 11/9. Her family held the funeral and burial on 13/9, The Paper reported. Before her passing on 11/9, she had opened her eyes to see her children and grandchildren attending to her, despite being critically ill and unable to eat or drink.

Health Times cited medical explanations, stating that she had entered a state of apparent death, also known as clinical death, before transitioning to the irreversible stage of biological death. In this state, the patient's heart rate and breathing decrease to a level difficult for the naked eye to detect, metabolism slows, and the patient falls into a deep coma. Outwardly, the body appears deceased, but internal organs still maintain minimal activity.

To prevent the risk of misdiagnosing apparent death, medicine employs a multi-step, strict procedure for determining death. Doctors must check for a carotid pulse in the neck, examine spontaneous breathing reflexes via chest movements, check pupil dilation, and monitor for cyanosis on the skin and lips. The decisive standard for concluding death is when the electrocardiogram (ECG) line on the monitor becomes a flat, horizontal line, rather than relying solely on external observations.

Binh Minh (According to SCMP, The Paper, Sina)