Dr. Jonathan W Patient NDE

Experience Description

I was the anesthesiologist, and not the person who had the near death experience.

The patient was having surgery on his right lung as I recall. During the operation, the surgeon accidentally transected the right pulmonary artery, causing catastrophic bleeding. The blood loss was so severe that, in order to identify and repair the damaged vessel, the surgeon allowed the patient’s blood so that he could clearly see the blood vessel. It took a couple of minutes before the vessel could finally be seen. Once control of the bleeding was achieved, we began aggressive resuscitation and gradually restored the patient’s blood volume.

During that time, the patient was pulseless for approximately six to eight minutes. Immediately before the event, he had been under deep general anesthesia, appropriate for major lung surgery, and he remained under anesthesia for the rest of the procedure. During the resuscitation effort, both the cardiac surgical team and the cardiac anesthesia team were called into the operating room to assist.

At the end of surgery, the patient was brought to the intensive care unit. He was sedated with medications for a day or two. After a couple of days, the sedatives were allowed to wear off. Upon waking, the patient was fairly confused. I visited the patient several times a day for the next few days, and the confusion lifted after two or three more days.

Once the confusion lifted, the patient still had a persistent belief that although he had intended to have surgery on his lung, he had in fact had heart surgery. When I asked him why he believed that, he told me that he was floating at the ceiling of the room. He was watching his body be resuscitated. He noted that what he described as the cardiac team had come into the room and was working on him. He reasoned that since he saw the cardiac team in the operating room, he must have had surgery on his heart.

Background Information:

Gender: Male

Date of NDE: 00/00/2007

NDE Elements:

At the time of your experience, was there an associated life-threatening event? Yes

How do you consider the content of your experience? Neither pleasant NOR distressing

Did you feel separated from your body? I clearly left my body and existed outside it
My patient floated above his body in the operating room and watched us resuscitate him.

How did your highest level of consciousness and alertness during the experience compare to your normal everyday consciousness and alertness? N/A

At what time during the experience were you at your highest level of consciousness? Normal consciousness and alertness

Were your thoughts speeded up? No

Did time seem to speed up or slow down? No

Were your senses more vivid than usual? No

Please compare your vision during the experience to your everyday vision that you had immediately prior to the time of the experience N/A

Please compare your hearing during the experience to your everyday hearing that you had immediately prior to the time of the experience N/A

Did you seem to be aware of things going on elsewhere? Yes, and the facts have been checked out

Did you pass into or through a tunnel? Uncertain
N/A

Did you see any beings in your experience? No

Did you encounter or become aware of any deceased beings? No

Did you see or feel surrounded by a brilliant light? No

Did you see an unearthly light? Uncertain
N/A

Did you seem to enter another world? No

What emotions did you feel during the experience? I don't know what my patient felt, but he told me that he was confused that cardiac surgeons and anesthesiologists were there.

Did you have a feeling of peace or pleasantness? No

Did you have a feeling of joy? No

Did you feel a sense of harmony or unity with the universe? No

Did you suddenly understand everything? No

Did scenes from your past come back? No

Did you reach a boundary or limiting physical structure? Uncertain
Perhaps the ceiling.

Did you come to a border or point of no return? No

God, Spiritual and Religion:

What was your religion prior to your experience? Jewish

Have your religious practices changed? No

What is your religion now? Jewish

Did your experience include features consistent with your earthly beliefs? Content that was entirely consistent with the beliefs you had at the time of your experience
N/A

Did you have a change in your values and beliefs because of your experience? Uncertain
N/A

Did you seem to encounter a mystical being or presence, or hear an unidentifiable voice? No

Did you encounter or become aware of any beings who previously lived on earth who are described by name in religions (for example: Jesus, Muhammad, Buddha, etc.)? No

During your experience, did you gain information about premortal existence? No

During your experience, did you gain information about universal connection or oneness? No

During your experience, did you gain information about the existence of God? No

Concerning our Earthly lives other than Religion:

During your experience, did you gain special knowledge or information about your purpose? No

During your experience, did you gain information about the meaning of life? No

During your experience, did you gain information about an afterlife? No

Did you gain information about how to live our lives? No

During your experience, did you gain information about life's difficulties, challenges and hardships? No

During your experience, did you gain information about love? No

What life changes occurred in your life after your experience? Unknown

Have your relationships changed specifically because of your experience? No

After the NDE:

Was the experience difficult to express in words? No

How accurately do you remember the experience in comparison to other life events that occurred around the time of the experience? I do not know how my remembrance of the experience compares to my remembrance of other life events that occurred around the time of the experience
N/A

Do you have any psychic, non-ordinary or other special gifts after your experience that you did not have before the experience? No

Are there one or several parts of your experience that are especially meaningful or significant to you? N/A

Have you ever shared this experience with others? Yes
I shared it with clinical colleagues.

Did you have any knowledge of near death experience (NDE) prior to your experience? No

What did you believe about the reality of your experience shortly (days to weeks) after it happened? Experience was probably real
Considering that the patient was under general anesthesia and pulseless at the time he was making accurate observations about what happened in the OR, it's hard to discount the experience.

What do you believe about the reality of your experience now? Experience was probably real
As above.

At any time in your life, has anything ever reproduced any part of the experience? No

Did the questions asked and information that you provided accurately and comprehensively describe your experience? Yes

Anything else to add? No