One in five patients had ‘lucid experience of dying’ during CPR, researchers say

Patients report 'awareness without distress' in the first large study to capture such experiences
HealthDay News
Concept.

Many patients recall a “meaningful evaluation of life” during CPR that cannot be explained by the trick of a dying or disordered brain, researchers say. 

The US study found that the lucid experiences of death occurred in nearly 20% of patient survivors while they were seemingly unconscious and dying.

Lead author, intensive care specialist Dr Sam Parnia says the findings provide evidence that patients undergo a “unique inner conscious experience” while on the verge of death and in a coma, including awareness without distress.

“These lucid experiences cannot be considered a trick of a disordered or dying brain, but rather a unique human experience that emerges on the brink of death,” said Dr Parnia, an associate professor in the NYU Grossman School of Medicine in New York City.