Lapses of the Heart: Frequency and Subjective Salience of Impressions Reported by Patients after Cardiac Arrest.
Journal of Clinical Medicine March 2, 2023 Fritz Sterz, Michael L Berger, Gerhard Ruzicka et al.
After cardiac arrest, some patients report highly realistic impressions, often called near-death experiences. In a prospective study of 126 cardiac arrest cases at the Medical University of Vienna, most subjects (76%) reported 'nothing' or 'blackout,' but 20 (16%) gave a detailed account. Five patients (4%) scored 7 or more points on the Greyson questionnaire for near-death phenomena. Three patients reported meeting deceased relatives, one an out-of-body episode, and one being sucked into a colorful tunnel. Eleven of the twenty patients with experiences had cardiopulmonary resuscitation started within the first minute of cardiac arrest, a higher fraction than those without experiences. The reported experience was highly significant for patients, many changing their views on life and death.