What phase of somatic death occurs approximately 5-6 minutes after clinical death, during which life may be restored?

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The correct answer is clinical death. This phase refers to the initial state following the cessation of all vital functions, where the heart has stopped beating, and breathing has ceased. However, during clinical death, brain activity may still be present for a short period, offering a window where resuscitation efforts may successfully restore life.

During this interval of approximately 5-6 minutes, if appropriate medical intervention is applied—such as CPR or defibrillation—there is potential for reviving the individual, as the body's cells have not yet suffered irreversible damage.

Cellular death, in contrast, occurs later as tissue and organ cells begin to die due to a lack of oxygen and nutrients. Cardiac arrest is a moment leading up to clinical death, marking the instant the heart fails to pump blood and the body enters clinical death. Biological death occurs much later when permanent brain damage and loss of function have occurred, marking the point of no return for resuscitation efforts. Thus, clinical death is a critical phase where life can still potentially be restored, making it the correct answer to this question.

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