Actually out this way your not considered dead until your warm and dead. i guess the guy that thawed out and came to on the morgue table was a little p. oed.
Ontario bls guidelines are simpler than those listed above,we call obvious death a code 5.
Presuming Death
1. Legal death
legal death exists only when a physician (including a base hospital physician acting through ALS provider) has pronounced death
2. a) Obvious death- No physician present
upon completion of a thorough physical assessment and history taking, the ambulance crew may "presume" death has occurred if gross signs of death are obvious, i.e. by reason of decapitation, transection, visible decomposition, putrefaction or otherwise.
Obvious death- "Otherwise"
i)absence of vital signs, and
ii) obvious" signs of death, referred to as blah blah blah, eg grossly charred body; open head or torso wounds with gross outpouring of cranial or visceral contents; gross rigor mOtis in a pulseless apneic pt.
Gross rigor mortis is defined as one or more of the following in a vsa pt:
-limbs and/or body stiff
-coldness and/or posturing of limbs, body;
-lividity (liven mortis)
-complete or partial corneal opacification associated with any of the above
exceptions: (i paraphrased this part because it goes on and on :sleepy2:)
-severe hypothermia and severe hypothermia secondary to near drowning resuscitation attempts should be initiated (discontinue with BH patch)
-High voltage electrical shock victims or lightening may appear dead with fixed dilated pu[ils and stiffening from muscle contractions. initiate resus attempts.
-in cases of obvious infant or child death where family is not dealing well initiate pt care and transport.
