Near-death experiences after cardiac arrest: a scoping review
Joshua G. Kovoor, Sanjana Santhosh, Brandon Stretton, Sheryn Tan, Hasti Gouldooz, Sylviya Moorthy, James Pietris, Christopher Hannemann, Long Kiu Yu, Rhys Johnson, Benjamin A. Reddi, Aashray K. Gupta, Morganne Wagner, Gregory J. Page, Pramesh Kovoor, Tarun Bastiampillai, Ian Maddocks, Seth W. Perry, Ma-li Wong, Julio Licinio, Stephen Bacchi
Discover Mental Health May 28, 2024 Peer reviewed DOI: 10.1007/s44192-024-00072-7 via Springer Nature
Summary
Near-death experiences may occur in over one-third of patients who suffer cardiac arrest, with incidence rates ranging from 6.3% to 39.3%. The study included 11 prospective studies and found that individual patient characteristics were significantly associated with the likelihood of experiencing such events. While follow-up studies indicated a positive change in life attitude after these experiences, one study noted higher 30-day all-cause mortality in patients who reported near-death experiences compared to those who did not.
Study at a glance
| Design | scoping review |
|---|---|
| Population | patients experiencing cardiac arrest |
| Key finding | Near-death experiences may occur in as frequent as over one-third of patients with cardiac arrest. |
Abstract
Background This scoping review aimed to characterise near-death experiences in the setting of cardiac arrest, a phenomenon that is poorly understood and may have clinical consequences. Method PubMed/MEDLINE was searched to 23 July 2023 for prospective studies describing near-death experiences in cardiac arrest. PRISMA-ScR guidelines were adhered to. Qualitative and quantitative data were synthesised. Meta-analysis was precluded due to data heterogeneity. Results 60 records were identified, of which 11 studies involving interviews were included from various countries. Sample size ranged from 28–344, and proportion of female patients (when reported) was 0–50%, with mean age (when reported) ranging 54–64 years. Comorbidities and reasons for cardiac arrest were heterogeneously reported. Incidence of near-death experiences in the included studies varied from 6.3% to 39.3%; with variation between in-hospital (6.3–39.3%) versus out-of-hospital (18.9–21.2%) cardiac arrest. Individual variables regarding patient characteristics demonstrated statistically significant association with propensity for near-death experiences. Reported content of near-death experiences tended to reflect the language of the questionnaires used, rather than the true language used by individual study participants. Three studies conducted follow-up, and all suggested a positive life attitude change, however one found significantly higher 30-day all-cause mortality in patients with near-death experiences versus those without, in non-controlled analysis. Conclusions From prospective studies that have investigated the phenomenon, near-death experiences may occur in as frequent as over one-third of patients with cardiac arrest. Lasting effects may follow these events, however these could also be confounded by clinical characteristics.