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Near-death experiences during cardiac arrest - from flashing lights to life
flashing before one's eyes - may be down to carbon dioxide, a study finds.
Examination of 52 patients found levels of the body's waste gas were higher in
the 11 who reported such experiences, the journal Critical Care reports.
The Slovenian researchers hope to move on the debate over why so many cardiac
arrest patients report the experiences.
Reasons previously suggested for the phenomenon include religion and drugs.
Those who have had near-death experiences report various encounters, including
seeing a tunnel or bright light, a mystical entity, or looking down from the
ceiling at the scene below in an "out of body" experience.
Others describe a simple but overwhelming feeling of peace and tranquillity.
It is thought between one in ten and nearly a quarter of cardiac arrest
patients have experienced one of these sensations.
No religion
In this latest study, published in the journal Critical Care, a team looked at
52 cardiac arrest patients. Eleven of these reported a near-death experience.
Near death experiences make us address our understanding of human
consciousness so the more we know the better
Zalika Klemenc-Ketis Lead author
There appeared to be no pattern in regards to sex, religious belief, fear of
death, time to recover or drugs given during resuscitation.
And while anoxia - in which brain cells die through lack of oxygen - is one of
the principal theories as to why near-death experiences may occur, this was not
found to be statistically significant among this small group of patients.
Instead, the researchers from the University of Maribor found blood carbon
dioxide levels were significantly higher in the near-death group than among
those who had no experience.
Previous research has shown that inhalation of carbon dioxide can induce
hallucinatory experiences similar to those reported in near-death experiences.
Whether the higher levels of carbon dioxide among this group of patients were
down to the cardiac arrest itself or pre-existing is unclear.
"It is potentially another piece of the puzzle, although much more work is
needed," said the report author, Zalika Klemenc-Ketis. "Near death experiences
make us address our understanding of human consciousness so the more we know
the better."
Cardiologist Dr Pim van Lommel, who has studied near death experiences
extensively, described the findings as "interesting".
"But they have not found a cause - merely an association. I think this is
something that will remain one of the great mysteries of mankind. The tools
scientists have are simply not sufficient to explain it."
In the UK, a large study is ongoing into whether cardiac arrest patients
genuinely do have out-of-body experiences. The research includes placing images
on shelves that can only be seen from above. The brain activity of 1,500
patients will be analysed afterwards to see if they can recognise the images.
Dr Sam Parnia, who is leading the project at Southampton University, says he
hopes to establish whether consciousness can in fact exist as a separate entity
to the body.
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/health/8607660.stm
Published: 2010/04/08 00:49:47 GMT