Israeli man comes back to life after being pronounced dead

An Israeli man gave emergency personnel a shock Wednesday when he came back to life after being pronounced dead by paramedics at his home, local daily the Jerusalem Post reported Thursday on its website.

According to the report, police received a report Wednesday night from the owner of a Ramat Gan apartment that he had not heard from the 84-year-old man who lives there for several days and was therefore concerned about him.

Police and a team of the Magen David Adom (MDA) rescue service entered the apartment and found the man sprawled across the floor. Paramedics attempted to resuscitate him, but a short while later, they called a doctor to pronounce the man's death.

The doctor did so and even filled out a death certificate, said the report.

Two police officers were summoned to the scene, and when one of the policemen already in the apartment approached the "dead" man, he moved his hand.

The startled police officer checked him and found that he had a slight pulse. He then began to perform CPR on the man, while other police officers called back the paramedics, who evacuated the old man to Tel Hashomer's Sheba Medical Center.

Israeli Health Ministry said Thursday it was investigating the conduct of the MDA team.

In response, the MDA issued a statement saying that the man had been found lying on his stomach with multiple secretions and maggots on his body, and that there was a stench of a decomposing body in the apartment.

"The man didn't move, didn't display any sign of breathing, he had blue stains of his body, which was also cold," continued the statement, "The doctor therefore decided that, in light of all these signs, the man was dead."

Nevertheless, the MDA said it had decided to set up a high-level inquiry committee which would present its findings in a few days.

"Until then, the team has been suspended from all medical activities," added the MDA statement.