Man Survives with Heart Stopped 45 Minutes

Many people report seeing a bright light at the end of a long dark tunnel after a near-death experience. Credit: Dreamstime

The clinical definition of death isn't what it used to be.

New York doctors say a man whose heart stopped at the hospital was revived 45 minutes later and suffered no brain damage. The doctors kept Joseph Tiralosi's body cold while they worked on him.

Death is less about a moment than it is about a process, scientists are learning. For many doctors, death occurs when the lungs stop working and the brain ceases functioning. But others say there can be anywhere from a few seconds to an hour or more when revival is still possible.

We don't know if Tiralosi was a religious man, but we do know that those who have God work harder to stall death, at least in terms of seeking life-prolonging care at that time of greatest crisis — scientists say so.

Wouldn't you like to ask Tiralosi what he experienced?

In The Water Cooler, Imaginova's Editorial Director Robert Roy Britt looks at what people are talking about in the world of science and beyond. Find more in the archives and on Twitter.