Another patient that I had during my ICU clinical rotations was an older man who pretty much had one foot in the grave.  And the other one on a banana peel.  It was awfully sad as he did not have any family at all except one niece who lived far away and would call occassionally to see how he was doing.  It was my first experience witnessing death as it happened.  I was in the room when the old man passed.  It was so strange to see the flat line on the monitor and then take him off of the ventilator. 

A little while later, we began to clean him up, put a toe tag on him and then get the body bag ready to put him in.  Only, his chest started to move up and down like he was breathing.  I almost had a heart attack right then and there on the spot.  I mean, geez, what if he really was alive and we sent him down to the morgue?? This freaked me out.  I went over very carefully and felt for a pulse: nothing.  I then listened for a couple of minutes with my stethoscope to his heart: again, nothing.  But his freaking chest was going up and down!!! 

 Well, apparently, there is a such a thing as reflexes that make this happen.