title: Near-death experience in a boy undergoing uneventful elective surgery under general anesthesia.
abstract: Near-death experience (NDE) is a complex subjective experience, which may include affective elements such as a sense of peacefulness, paranormal components such as a sensation of floating out of the body, and a perception of being in a dark tunnel and seeing a brilliant light. It is usually reported to occur in association with a wide range of life-threatening situations, as for instance, cardiopulmonary resuscitation. We report on an episode of NDE that occurred in a 12-year-old boy who underwent a general anesthesia for an elective uncomplicated surgery. To our knowledge, this is the first case of NDE in a child that has been reported in this context.
authors.affiliation: Division of Anesthesiology, University Hospital of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland. ursula.lopez@hcuge.ch
authors.forename: Ursula
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Lopez
authors.forename: Alain
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Forster
authors.forename: Jean-Marie
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Annoni
authors.forename: Walid
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Habre
authors.forename: Irène A
authors.initials: IA
authors.lastname: Iselin-Chaves
mesh_terms: D000768:Anesthesia, General; D018686:Anesthetics, Intravenous; D002648:Child; D003643:Death; D017558:Elective Surgical Procedures; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D015742:Propofol
chemical_list: D018686:Anesthetics, Intravenous; D015742:Propofol