A nowhere near-death experience: heavenly choirs interrupt myelography.
F O Walker
JAMA June 1, 1989 DOI: 10.1001/jama.1989.03420220059024 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Case study Case report Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 1 |
| Population | A 40-year-old woman with long-term lower back pain, breakaway weakness, and nonanatomic sensory loss undergoing myelography |
| Intervention | iohexol |
| Topics | Near-death experience |
| Keywords | Humans Death Iohexol Myelography Conversion disorder Adult Female |
| Key findings | The authors report that a woman developed recurrent unresponsiveness and labored breathing immediately after subarachnoid iohexol injection, with fluctuating leg weakness and refusal to cooperate with examination; the episode resolved when intubation was attempted and was judged to be a conversion reaction. |
Abstract
To the Editor.— Descriptions of the experience of surviving near-death events are entertaining,1but should be interpreted with caution. Report of a Case.— A 40-year-old woman with normal findings on physical examination except for breakaway weakness and nonanatomic sensory loss, underwent myelography for long-term lower back pain. Immediately after subarachnoid instillation of iohexol she became light-headed, then unresponsive, with labored breathing. Respiratory resuscitation was initiated by a radiologist, but when the code team arrived, her breathing, arterial blood values, and blood pressure were normal. They found fluctuating stiffness and weakness in her legs, normal reflexes, and defensive behavior. Although alert and talkative, she refused to cooperate with sensory testing or to answer questions about her paraparesis. Unexpectedly, labored respirations and unresponsiveness recurred. Intubation was attempted, which provoked a prompt return of consciousness and normal breathing; leg function returned to normal. The spell was judged to be a conversion reaction
Comparable studies
Other case reports and case series on near-death experience, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Near-Death Experiences in India Individuals in India who reported near-death experiences | 1986 | Case study | n = 16 |
| The Near-Death Experience as a Focus of Clinical Attention Patients presenting with near-death experience-related problems | 1997 | Case study | n = 4 |
| A prospectively studied near-death experience with corroborated out-of-body perceptions and unexplained healing. A person who had a near-death experience | 2006 | Case report | n = 1 |
| Verified account of near-death experience in a physician who survived cardiac arrest. A 32-year-old female physician experiencing childbirth | 2020 | Case study | n = 1 |
| This is your brain on death: a comparative analysis of a near-death experience and subsequent 5-Methoxy-DMT experience. An individual who had a near-death experience during a coma caused by bacterial... | 2023 | Case study | n = 1 |