AWARE—AWAreness during REsuscitation

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the concept of consciousness during cardiac arrest and resuscitation, particularly focusing on the potential for awareness despite clinical unconsciousness. Participants explore the implications of recent studies, including the AWARE study, which investigates near-death experiences (NDEs) and conscious awareness during resuscitation efforts.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Debate/contested
  • Technical explanation

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants reference studies indicating that consciousness may be present even when clinically undetectable, with a specific mention of cardiac arrest survivors experiencing a range of cognitive themes.
  • One participant shares anecdotal evidence from their practice, noting that some patients have reported hearing conversations while unconscious, suggesting a possibility of awareness during resuscitation.
  • A participant discusses the AWARE study's design, which aims to objectively test for conscious awareness during cardiac arrest by placing hidden images that could only be seen from an elevated position, potentially supporting claims of cognition independent of brain function.
  • Another participant cites a specific case of a patient who described observing events during resuscitation, providing a personal account that aligns with the themes of NDEs and awareness.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express a range of views on the existence of consciousness during cardiac arrest, with some supporting the idea based on studies and personal experiences, while others remain skeptical or highlight the need for more objective evidence. No consensus is reached regarding the interpretations of these experiences or the implications for understanding consciousness.

Contextual Notes

Limitations include the reliance on anecdotal evidence and the subjective nature of reported experiences, as well as the ongoing debate about the interpretation of NDEs and their implications for consciousness and brain function.

microsansfil
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Hello,

http://www.resuscitationjournal.com/article/S0300-9572(14)00739-4/fulltext

First about people who are writing the article :

Sam Parnia,Ken Spearpoint,Gabriele de Vos,Peter Fenwick,Diana Goldberg,Jie Yang,JiawenZhu,Katie Baker,Hayley Killingback, Paula McLean,Melanie Wood,A.Maziar Zafari,Neal Dickert,Roland Beisteiner,Fritz Sterz,Michael Berger,Celia Warlow,Siobhan Bullock,Salli Lovett,Russell Metcalfe Smith McPara,Sandra Marti-Navarette,Pam Cushing,Paul Wills,Kayla Harris,Jenny Sutton,Anthony Walmsley,Charles D.Deakin,Paul Little,Mark Farber,Bruce Greyson, Elinor R.Schoenfelda- Stony Brook Medical Center,State University of New York at Stony Brook,NY,USA
b-Hammersmith Hospital Imperial College,University of London,UK
c- Montefiore Medical Center,New York,USA
d-University Hospital Southampton,Southampton,UK
e-Royal Bournemouth Hospital,Bournemouth,UK
f-St Georges Hospital,University of London,UK
g-Emory University School of Medicine& Atlanta Veterans Affairs Medical Center,Atlanta,USA
h-Medical University of Vienna,Austria
i - Northampton General Hospital, Northampton,UK
j-Lister Hospital, Stevenage,UK
k- Cedar Sinai,USA
l-Croydon University Hospital,UK
m-James Paget Hospital,UK
n-Ashford & StPeters NHS Trust,UK
o-Addenbrookes Hospital, University of Cambridge,UK
p-East Sussex Hospital,East Sussex,UK
q-Indiana University,Wishard Memorial Hospital, Indianapolis,USA
r-University of Virginia,Charlottesville,VA,US A

This studie supports other recent studies that have indicated consciousness may be present despite clinically undetectable consciousness.

What is your point of view ?

Patrick
 
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From the article:

Conclusions
Cardiac Arrest survivors commonly experience a broad range of cognitive themes, with 2% exhibiting full awareness. This supports other recent studies that have indicated consciousness may be present despite clinically undetectable consciousness. This together with fearful experiences may contribute to PTSD and other cognitive deficits post CA.

I've had patients who could hear us talking while we worked on them and they were unconscious. That's one of the reasons I make a habit of talking to all of my Pts, including the unconscious ones. I haven't known any CA Pts who have said they were aware of what was going on, but it seems plausible that a few may.
 
Back in May I participated in a debate for Intelligence Squared regarding http://intelligencesquaredus.org/debates/upcoming-debates/item/1020-death-is-not-final At the time I was updating myself on the published literature regarding alleged near death experiences or NDEs, and noticed that the http://www.horizonresearch.org/main_page.php?cat_id=38 (AWAreness during REsuscitation) had been completed but the data not yet published. I was disappointed that I would not have these results available to me during the debate.
I had read about the study several years earlier. This is a prospective study of cardiac arrest patients to not only describe their NDEs when they occur, but to conduct a large prospective test looking for objective evidence of conscious awareness during resuscitation. The lead researcher, Sam Parnia, is a believer in NDEs, but designed a study theoretically capable of finding objective evidence.

The multi-center study involved placing an image in a location that was hidden from normal view but could be viewed by a person floating above their body during an NDE. This could be a way to objectively differentiate between the two leading hypotheses. Parnia and others believe that reports of NDEs represent actual awareness during cardiac arrest when the brain is not functioning. This, of course, would be compelling evidence for cognition separate from brain function.

Continued...
 
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Hello,

Thank for your answer. This is awesome

http://www.alphagalileo.org/AssetViewer.aspx?AssetId=90110&CultureCode=en

57 year old man described the perception of observing events from the top corner of the room and continued to experience a sensation of looking down from above. He accurately described people, sounds, and activities from his resuscitation (Table 2 provides quotes from this interview).

Patrick