Sinusitis

How does a person feel when he dies? Clinical death. Last minutes of life

In the section on the question How long does clinical death last? given by the author Irina Akulova the best answer is Depends on the temperature. The lower it is, the longer. The brain begins to die without oxygen after 5 minutes. Under conditions of hypothermia, this period increases in time. Then biological death occurs. If sudden death occurs (hanging, electrical trauma, drowning), it can be restored cardiac activity, breathing and after an hour, but if the brain is dead, the victim can no longer be called alive.

Reply from Good neighborliness[guru]
The maximum recorded was, in my opinion, 9 minutes. Then comes physical death.

Reply from Nikna[guru]
As much as he wants. This is a coma in another word.

Reply from Throw[guru]
5 seconds but it’s wonderful...and inexplicable...and really
you communicate with someone gray-haired and pleasant, but without words... and they can reveal your future to you... but not completely... apparently a lot really depends on our actions..

Reply from European[guru]
In my opinion, clinical death continues until brain death, about 4 minutes. This is when incompatible with life
injuries. The coma state, when there is equipment supporting the functions of the failed organ, can continue
Over the years and decades, there are known cases when a person spent many years in a coma without any equipment.

Reply from Yoolnyshko[active]
5 minutes, then brain death - biological death

Reply from Anhydride Sulphurous[guru]
See Nikolay Zhernov’s answer, everything is correct there.
Formally, if there is no blood circulation in the brain for 6 minutes, I think it is possible to register physical or irreversible death.

Reply from Yea Tey[newbie]
This period terminal state, with the exception of rare and casuistic cases, on average lasts no more than 3-4 minutes, maximum 5-6 minutes after cardiac arrest - in the warm season. Against the background of artificial respiration and chest compressions, this time increases to 20-40 minutes.

Reply from Oliya Berezutskaya[newbie]
What does non-direct cardiac massage mean?

Reply from Dmitry Gumenyuk[expert]
5 minutes, further resuscitation is useless, the brain dies.

The life of the body is impossible without oxygen, which we receive through respiratory and circulatory system. If we stop breathing or stop blood circulation, we will die. However, when breathing stops and the heart stops, death does not occur immediately. There is a certain transitional stage that cannot be attributed to either life or death - this is clinical death.

This state lasts several minutes from the moment when breathing and heartbeat stop, the body’s vital activity has died down, but irreversible damage has not yet occurred at the tissue level. From such a state it is still possible to bring a person back to life if you take emergency measures to provide emergency care.

Causes of clinical death

Definition clinical death boils down to the following - this is a state when only a few minutes remain before a person’s real death. For this short time it is still possible to save and bring the patient back to life.

What is potential cause such a state?

One of the most common reasons– heartbeat stops. This is a terrible factor when the heart stops unexpectedly, although nothing previously foreshadowed trouble. Most often this occurs when there is any disruption in the functioning of this organ, or when the coronary system is blocked by a blood clot.

Other common reasons include the following:

excessive physical or stressful overexertion, which negatively affects cardiac blood supply;
loss of significant volumes of blood due to injuries, wounds, etc.;
state of shock (including anaphylaxis - a consequence of a strong allergic response of the body);
respiratory arrest, asphyxia;
serious thermal, electrical or mechanical tissue damage;
toxic shock - the effect of poisonous, chemical and toxic substances on the body.

Causes of clinical death also include chronic, protracted diseases of the cardiovascular and respiratory systems, as well as situations of accidental or violent death (presence of injuries incompatible with life, brain injuries, cardiac concussions, compression and bruises, embolism, aspiration of fluid or blood, reflex spasm coronary vessels and cardiac arrest).

Signs of clinical death

Clinical death is usually determined by the following signs:

the man lost consciousness. This condition usually occurs within 15 seconds after circulation has stopped. Important: blood circulation cannot stop if a person is conscious;
It is impossible to determine the pulse in the area of the carotid arteries within 10 seconds. This sign indicates that the blood supply to the brain has stopped, and very soon the cells of the cerebral cortex will die. Carotid artery located in the recess separating the sternocleidomastoid muscle and the trachea;
the person has stopped breathing altogether, or due to the lack of breathing, the respiratory muscles periodically contract convulsively (this state of swallowing air is called atonal breathing, turning into apnea);
a person's pupils dilate and stop responding to the light source. This symptom is a consequence of the cessation of blood supply to the brain centers and the nerve responsible for eye movement. This is the most late symptom clinical death, so you should not wait for it, it is necessary to take emergency medical measures in advance.

Clinical death from drowning

Drowning occurs when a person is completely immersed in water, which causes difficulty or complete cessation of respiratory gas exchange. There are several reasons for this:

inhalation of liquid through the human respiratory tract;
laryngospastic condition due to water entering the respiratory system;
shock cardiac arrest;
seizure, heart attack, stroke.

In a state of clinical death, the visual picture is characterized by loss of consciousness of the victim, cyanosis of the skin, absence of respiratory movements and pulsation in the area of the carotid arteries, dilation of the pupils and lack of their reaction to the light source.

The likelihood of successfully reviving a person in this state is minimal, since he spent large quantities energy of the body in the struggle for life while in water. The possibility of a positive outcome of resuscitation measures to save the victim may directly depend on the duration of a person’s stay in the water, his age, his state of health, and the temperature of the water. By the way, at a low temperature of the reservoir, the victim’s chance of survival is much higher.

Feelings of people who have experienced clinical death

What do people see during clinical death? Visions may be different, or they may not exist at all. Some of them are understandable from the point of view scientific medicine, some continue to surprise and amaze people.

Some victims who described their time in the “clutches of death” say that they saw and met some of their deceased relatives or friends. Sometimes visions are so realistic that it can be quite difficult not to believe in them.

Many visions are associated with a person’s ability to fly above his own body. Sometimes resuscitated patients describe in sufficient detail the appearance and actions of the doctors who carried out urgent measures. Scientific explanation there are no such phenomena.

Often victims report that during the resuscitation period they could penetrate through the wall into neighboring rooms: they describe in some detail the situation, people, procedures, everything that was happening at the same time in other wards and operating rooms.

Medicine tries to explain such phenomena by the characteristics of our subconscious: being in a state of clinical death, a person hears certain sounds that persist in brain memory, and on a subconscious level complements sound images with visual ones.

Artificial clinical death

The concept of artificial clinical death is often identified with the concept of induced coma, which is not entirely true. Medicine does not use the special introduction of a person into a state of death; euthanasia is prohibited in our country. But artificial coma is used in medicinal purposes, and even quite successfully.

Induction into an artificial coma is used to prevent disorders that can negatively affect the functions of the cerebral cortex, for example, hemorrhage, accompanied by pressure on areas of the brain and its swelling.

Induced coma may be used instead of anesthesia in cases where several serious emergencies await surgical interventions, as well as in neurosurgery and in the treatment of epilepsy.

The patient is put into a coma using medical narcotic drugs. The procedure is performed according to strict medical and life-saving indications. The risk of putting a patient into a coma must be fully justified by the possible expected benefit of such a state. A big plus of an artificial coma is that this process is absolutely controlled by doctors. The dynamics of this state are often positive.

Stages of clinical death

Clinical death lasts exactly as long as the brain in a hypoxic state can maintain its own viability.

There are two stages of clinical death:

the first stage lasts about 3-5 minutes. During this time, the areas of the brain that are responsible for the vital functions of the body still retain their ability to live under normothermic and anoxic conditions. Almost all scientific experts agree that prolonging this period does not exclude the possibility of reviving a person, but it can lead to irreversible consequences of the death of some or all parts of the brain;
the second stage can occur under certain conditions and can last several tens of minutes. Certain conditions refer to situations that help slow down the degenerative processes of the brain. This is artificial or natural cooling of the body, which occurs when a person freezes, drowns, or gets electrocuted. In such situations, the duration clinical condition increases.

Coma after clinical death

Consequences of clinical death

The consequences of being in a state of clinical death depend entirely on how quickly the patient is resuscitated. The sooner a person returns to life, the more favorable prognosis is waiting for him. If less than three minutes have passed after stopping cardiac activity before it resumes, then the likelihood of brain degeneration is minimal, and the occurrence of complications is unlikely.

If the duration of resuscitation measures is delayed for any reason, the lack of oxygen in the brain can lead to irreversible complications, including complete loss of life. important functions body.

During prolonged resuscitation, in order to prevent hypoxic brain disorders, a cooling technique is sometimes used to human body, which allows you to increase the period of reversibility of degenerative processes to several additional minutes.

Life after clinical death for most people takes on new colors: first of all, their worldview, views on their actions, and principles of life change. Many gain psychic abilities, the gift of clairvoyance. What processes contribute to this, what new pathways open as a result of several minutes of clinical death, is still unknown.

Clinical and biological death

The state of clinical death, if emergency assistance is not provided, invariably passes into the next, final stage of life - biological death. Biological death occurs as a result of brain death - this condition is irreversible; resuscitation measures at this stage are futile, impractical and do not bring positive results.

Death usually occurs 5-6 minutes after the onset of clinical death, in the absence of resuscitation measures. Sometimes the time of clinical death may be slightly longer, depending mainly on temperature environment: at low temperatures metabolism slows down, oxygen starvation of tissues is more easily tolerated, so the body can remain in a state of hypoxia longer.

The following symptoms are considered signs of biological death:

clouding of the pupil, loss of shine (drying) of the cornea;
“cat's eye” - when the eyeball is compressed, the pupil changes in shape and turns into a kind of “slit”. If the person is alive, this procedure is impossible;
a decrease in body temperature occurs by approximately one degree for every hour after death, so this sign is not an emergency;
appearance cadaveric spots– bluish spots on the body;
muscle tightening.

It has been established that with the onset biological death first the cerebral cortex dies, then the subcortical zone and the spinal cord, after 4 hours - the bone marrow, and after that - skin, muscle and tendon fibers, bones during the day.

Clinical death is one of the most mysterious conditions in medicine. The stories of people who experienced it still cannot be fully explained with scientific point vision. What is clinical death and how does it differ from other extremely serious condition which is called coma? In what case do we talk about biological death, and how does the rehabilitation of patients occur after they have been between two worlds?

What is clinical death

Clinical death is an intermediate state between life and death. It is reversible, that is, subject to certain medical events the vital functions of the human body can be completely restored. However, the duration of clinical death before it becomes biological is very short and is only 4-6 minutes. Therefore, the future fate of a person depends on the speed of resuscitation measures.

A feature of clinical death...

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How long can a person be in a state of clinical death? This depends on many factors: the type of dying, its conditions, body temperature, age of the dying person, etc. Death usually occurs because organs and tissues no longer receive the oxygen they need. If you manage to get the cardiovascular and respiratory system, then the person will return to life.

But the problem is that some body cells cannot exist for a long time without oxygen. The more complex functions the tissues perform, the less viable they are. The most highly organized tissue of the body is the cerebral cortex. It is believed that clinical death is determined by the time interval that the cerebral cortex can survive without blood circulation and breathing. According to doctors, under normal conditions this is no more than 5-7 minutes.

But it doesn’t always fit into these minutes. With large blood loss, a person dies instantly. On the other hand, there are known cases of successful revival even after 12-22...

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Clinical death is a reversible stage of dying, transition period between life and biological death. At this stage, the activity of the heart and the breathing process stops, all external signs vital activity of the body. At the same time, hypoxia (oxygen starvation) does not cause irreversible changes in the organs and systems that are most sensitive to it.

This period of the terminal state, with the exception of rare and casuistic cases, lasts on average no more than 3-4 minutes, maximum 5-6 minutes (with an initially reduced or normal temperature body).

Third stage of death

Clinical death is a state of the human body when there are no primary signs life - breathing stops, heart function stops, no visible signs activities of the central nervous system(unconscious person). This condition may seem inexplicable, but only at first glance, if it is considered in isolation, in itself...

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This period of terminal condition, with the exception of rare and casuistic cases, lasts on average no more than 3-4 minutes. The duration of clinical death is determined by the period during which the higher departments. On average, from the moment spontaneous breathing and heartbeat ceases until the onset of biological death. The listed signs refer to initial stage clinical death.. At this stage, the activity of the heart and the breathing process stop. Summary articles Description and symptoms of the phenomenon. However, the duration of clinical death before it becomes biological is very short and amounts to only 4-6 minutes. Under normal conditions, the duration of clinical death is no more than 5–6 minutes. Clinical death is a reversible stage of dying, a transition period between life and biological death. Signs of clinical death. 4. Duration of clinical death... Death consists of two phases of clinical and biological death....

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Priest Alexy Timakov, by his secular profession, is a resuscitator and for many years worked in intensive care unit and department intensive care. What kind of experience does a person get by seeing every day how people pass away from life and how they leave...death, returning to life? What is there, beyond the grave line? And how do we prepare... no, not for death, but for life - eternal, true Life? Our conversation with Father Alexy is about this. And of course, we couldn’t help but inquire about the medical specifics of resuscitation.

Father Alexy, explain the meaning of resuscitation with medical point vision?

Resuscitation is, to put it simply, a set of measures to revive a person who is in a state of clinical death. And clinical death is a cessation of blood circulation and breathing, but, above all, blood circulation.

Why does blood circulation stop? Does the heart stop working?

It happens that the heart stops: a knock - and that’s it, it sank and didn’t...

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Clinical death is a human condition in which there are no signs of life. IN in this case tissues and organs remain alive.

Clinical death is a reversible condition and, if provided in a timely manner, medical care the patient can be brought back to life.

Stages of clinical death

The onset of clinical death is observed after blood circulation in the human body stops, breathing and pulse stop. During this period, necrotic changes in tissues do not yet develop.

The duration of this state is on average 3-6 minutes. During this period, the parts of the brain maintain their viability. Timely implementation of resuscitation procedures guarantees the patient’s return to life.

There are two stages of death in which the patient is given the opportunity to return to life.

At the first stage of clinical death, the appearance of disorders in the brain is observed. During this period...

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Signs of clinical death

Clinical death is usually determined by the following signs:

The man lost consciousness. This condition usually occurs within 15 seconds after circulation has stopped. Important: blood circulation cannot stop if a person is conscious; It is impossible to determine the pulse in the area of the carotid arteries within 10 seconds. This sign indicates that the blood supply to the brain has stopped, and very soon the cells of the cerebral cortex will die. The carotid artery is located in the depression separating the sternocleidomastoid muscle and the trachea; the person has stopped breathing altogether, or due to the lack of breathing, the respiratory muscles periodically contract convulsively (this state of swallowing air is called atonal breathing, turning into apnea); a person's pupils dilate and stop responding to the light source. This symptom is a consequence of the cessation of blood supply to the brain centers and the nerve responsible for movement...

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Longest clinical death

Borderline state

To put it simply, death is the moment of cessation of all physiological processes in the tissues and cells of a once living organism. It can be sudden when irreversible changes occur almost instantly, and may be accompanied by a borderline state called clinical death. As the Russian scientist, creator of resuscitation V.A. said. Negovsky is not yet death, but no longer life. This is a kind of threshold, frozen at which human body can move: back to life, or forward, to biological death.

First term

The time spent in this state determines the quality of life after return. The period during which there is a maximum probability that the body will function normally is a little more than five minutes. This is the period when the responsible parts of the brain remain viable in the absence of oxygen, experts call it...

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The main stages of dying are the preagonal state, terminal pause, agony, clinical and biological death.

The preagonal state is a stage of dying, characterized by a sharp decrease in the level of blood pressure, first tachycardia and tachypnea, then bradycardia and bradypnea, progressive depression of consciousness, electrical activity brain and stem reflexes and an increase in the depth of oxygen starvation of all organs and tissues. The fourth Stage of torpid shock can be identified to a certain extent with the preagonal state.

The preagonal state ends with a terminal pause in breathing, which usually coincides with a sharp slowdown in the pulse up to temporary asystole.

Agony is the stage of dying that precedes death, which is characterized by the last outbreak of life activity. During the period of agony, the functions of the higher parts of the brain are turned off, regulation physiological functions carried out by the bulbar centers and is primitive,...

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Clinical death is a reversible, conditionally short-term period of dying, a stage of transition from life to death. During this period, cardiac activity and respiratory functions stop, all external signs of vitality completely disappear. While hypoxia (oxygen starvation) does not cause irreversible changes in the organs and systems most sensitive to it. This terminal state period except rare cases and casuistry, on average lasts no more than 3-4 minutes, maximum 5-6 minutes (at initially low or normal body temperature)

Signs of clinical death

Loss of consciousness

Absence of pulse in the great vessels

Lack of breathing

The presence of ventricular complexes on the ECG

Duration of clinical death

It is determined by the period during which the upper parts of the brain (subcortical substance and in particular the cortex) can remain viable in the absence of oxygen (hypoxia). Describing the character...

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Clinical death: what kind of condition it is, how it manifests itself, symptoms. Reviews from those who experienced clinical death

“Suddenly I dreamed that my soul had left my body and was floating above the ceiling. An unusual calm filled the body. But here everything was shrouded in darkness, and only a distant flicker of light loomed somewhere in the distance.” This is what the memories of a person who had a clinical death look like. What kind of phenomenon this is and how it happens – we will describe in this article. Science and esotericism this state interpreted differently.

Description and symptoms of the phenomenon

Clinical death - medical term, denoting the cessation of two the most important conditions to maintain human life– blood circulation and respiration.

Among the main signs of the condition:

Within a few seconds after apnea and asystole, loss of consciousness occurs; The brain continues to live and work; The pupils dilate and do not contract when exposed to light. This happens due to dystrophy...

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Scientists have conducted research and identified a list of the most common scenarios. Individual sensations were both independent and in a group with others.

1. Long corridor

We were lucky enough to see the passage of a corridor with light at the end of the path in 42% of cases. People saw something divine there, or their relatives who had died.

2. Absolute love

69% of people experienced a wonderful feeling of absolute love.

3. Telepathic abilities

65% of the subjects showed incredible abilities to communicate non-verbally with people or creatures.

4. Joy, admiration

In 56% of cases, they experienced admiration from meeting divine creatures and joy from meeting relatives. People were happy to be there.

In 56% of cases, people said that they saw the highest deity - God. Surprisingly, even 75% of those who were convinced atheists felt his presence.

6. Absolute knowledge

Unfathomable abilities...

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Cardiac arrest and cerebral coma: clinical death from a medical point of view

“Man is mortal, but his main misfortune is that he is mortal suddenly,” these words, put by Bulgakov into Woland’s mouth, perfectly describe the feelings of most people. There is probably no person who is not afraid of death. But along with the big death, there is a small death - clinical. What is it, why do people who have experienced clinical death often see divine light, and is this not a delayed path to heaven - in the material M24.ru.

Clinical death from a medical point of view

The problems of studying clinical death as a borderline state between life and death remain one of the most important in modern medicine. Unraveling its many mysteries is also difficult because many people who have experienced clinical death do not fully recover, and more than half of patients with similar condition it is not possible to resuscitate them, and they already die...

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Clinical death - like a portal between life and death Clinical death has a return point to real world, therefore, many consider this human condition to be a portal between life and death. None of the scientists can reliably say whether a person in a state of clinical death is dead or alive. Polls large quantity people showed that many of them perfectly remember everything that happened to them. But on the other hand, from the point of view of doctors, in a state of clinical death, patients do not show any signs of life, and the return to the real world occurs thanks to the resuscitation measures.

Concept of clinical death

The very concept of clinical death was introduced in the second half of the last century. This was a period of development of resuscitation technologies, which made it possible to bring a person back to life within a few minutes after he stopped showing signs of life. People who were brought back from a state of clinical death, like...

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Clinical death from a medical point of view

The problems of studying clinical death as a borderline state between life and death remain one of the most important in modern medicine. Unraveling its many mysteries is also difficult because many people who have experienced clinical death do not fully recover, and more than half of patients with a similar condition cannot be resuscitated, and they die for real - biologically.

So, clinical death is a condition accompanied by cardiac arrest, or asystole (a condition in which the heart stops contracting first). various departments heart, and then cardiac arrest occurs), respiratory arrest and deep, or transcendental, cerebral coma. Everything is clear with the first two points, but about whom it is worth explaining in more detail. Typically, doctors in Russia use the so-called Glasgow scale. The eye opening reaction, as well as motor and speech reactions are assessed using a 15-point system. 15 points on this scale correspond to clear consciousness, and minimum score– 3, when the brain does not respond to any types of external influence, corresponds to an extreme coma.

After stopping breathing and cardiac activity, a person does not die immediately. Consciousness turns off almost instantly, because the brain does not receive oxygen and oxygen starvation occurs. But nevertheless, in a short period of time, from three to six minutes, he can still be saved. Approximately three minutes after breathing stops, cell death in the cerebral cortex begins, the so-called decortication. The cerebral cortex is responsible for higher nervous activity and after decortication, resuscitation measures may be successful, but the person may be doomed to a vegetative existence.

After a few more minutes, cells in other parts of the brain begin to die - in the thalamus, hippocampus, cerebral hemispheres brain A condition in which all parts of the brain have lost functioning neurons is called decerebration and actually corresponds to the concept of biological death. That is, reviving people after decerebration is, in principle, possible, but the person will be doomed to remain on the floor for a long time until the end of his life. artificial ventilation lungs and other life-sustaining procedures.

The fact is that vital (vital - website) centers are located in the medulla oblongata, which regulates breathing, heartbeat, cardiovascular tone, as well as unconditioned reflexes like sneezing. At oxygen starvation medulla oblongata, which is actually a continuation of the spinal cord, is one of the last parts of the brain to die. However, despite the fact that the vital centers may not be damaged, by that time decortication will have already occurred, making it impossible to return to normal life.

Other human organs, such as the heart, lungs, liver and kidneys, can survive without oxygen for much longer. Therefore, one should not be surprised by the transplantation, for example, of kidneys taken from a patient who is already brain dead. Despite brain death, the kidneys are still in working order for some time. And the muscles and intestinal cells live without oxygen for six hours.

Currently, methods have been developed that can increase the duration of clinical death to two hours. This effect is achieved using hypothermia, that is, artificial cooling of the body.

As a rule (unless, of course, it happens in a clinic under the supervision of doctors), it is quite difficult to determine exactly when cardiac arrest occurred. According to current regulations, doctors are required to carry out resuscitation measures: cardiac massage, artificial respiration within 30 minutes from the beginning. If during this time it was not possible to resuscitate the patient, then biological death is declared.

However, there are several signs of biological death that appear within 10–15 minutes after brain death. First, Beloglazov’s symptom appears (when pressing on eyeball the pupil becomes like a cat's), and then the cornea of the eyes dries out. If these symptoms are present, resuscitation is not performed.

How many people survive clinical death safely?

It may seem that most people who find themselves in a state of clinical death come out of it safely. However, this is not the case; only three to four percent of patients can be resuscitated, after which they return to normal life and do not suffer from any mental disorders or loss of body functions.

Another six to seven percent of patients, being resuscitated, nevertheless do not fully recover and suffer various lesions brain. The vast majority of patients die.

Such sad statistics largely due to two reasons. The first of them is that clinical death can occur not under the supervision of doctors, but, for example, at the dacha, from where the nearest hospital is at least half an hour’s drive. In this case, doctors will arrive when it is no longer possible to save the person. Sometimes it is impossible to defibrillate in a timely manner when ventricular fibrillation occurs.

The second reason remains the nature of the damage to the body during clinical death. If we're talking about O massive blood loss, resuscitation measures are almost always unsuccessful. The same applies to critical myocardial damage during a heart attack.

For example, if a person, as a result of a blockage in one of the coronary arteries more than 40 percent of the myocardium is affected, death is inevitable, because the body cannot live without heart muscles, no matter what resuscitation measures are taken.

Thus, it is possible to increase survival rate in case of clinical death mainly by equipping crowded places with defibrillators, as well as by organizing flying ambulance teams in hard-to-reach areas.

Clinical death for patients

If clinical death for doctors is emergency, in which it is necessary to urgently resort to resuscitation measures, then for patients it often seems to be the road to a brighter world. Many people who experienced clinical death talked about seeing the light at the end of the tunnel, some meeting their long-dead relatives, others looking at the earth from a bird's eye view.

“I had a light (yes, I know how it sounds), and I seemed to see everything from the outside. It was bliss, or something. No pain for the first time in so long. And after clinical death, there was a feeling that I had lived some kind of someone else’s life and now I’m just sliding back into my skin, my life - the only one in which I feel comfortable. It’s a little tight, but it’s a pleasant tightness, like a worn pair of jeans that you’ve been wearing for years,” says Lydia, one of the patients who suffered. clinical death.

It is this feature of clinical death, its ability to evoke vivid images, that is still the subject of much debate. From a purely scientific point of view, what is happening is described quite simply: brain hypoxia occurs, which leads to hallucinations in the actual absence of consciousness. What kind of images a person has in this state is a strictly individual question. The mechanism by which hallucinations occur has not yet been fully elucidated.

At one time the endorphin theory was very popular. According to her, much of what people feel during near-death experiences can be attributed to the release of endorphins due to extreme stress. Since endorphins are responsible for pleasure, and in particular even for orgasm, it is not difficult to guess what many people who experienced clinical death thought after it ordinary life just a burdensome routine. However, in recent years this theory was debunked because researchers found no evidence that endorphins were released during clinical death.

There is also a religious point of view. As, indeed, in any cases that are inexplicable from the standpoint of modern science. Many people (including scientists) are inclined to believe that after death a person goes to heaven or hell, and the hallucinations that those who experienced clinical death saw are only proof that hell or heaven exist, just like afterlife at all. It is extremely difficult to give any assessment to these views.

However, not all people experienced heavenly bliss during clinical death.

“I suffered clinical death twice in less than one month. I didn’t see anything. When they returned me, I realized that I was nowhere, in oblivion. I had nothing there. I came to the conclusion that there you free yourself from everything by total loss yourself, probably, along with your soul. Now death doesn’t really worry me, but I enjoy life,” accountant Andrei cites his experience.

Overall, research has shown that when human death the body loses a little weight (literally a few grams). Adherents of religions hastened to assure humanity that at this moment the soul is separated from the human body. However scientific approach states that the weight of the human body changes due to chemical processes occurring in the brain at the moment of death.

Doctor's opinion

Current standards require resuscitation within 30 minutes of the last heartbeat. Resuscitation stops when a person’s brain dies, namely upon EEG registration. I personally once successfully resuscitated a patient whose heart had stopped. In my opinion, the stories of people who have experienced clinical death are in most cases a myth or fiction. I have never heard such stories from our patients. medical institution. There were no such stories from colleagues either.

Moreover, people tend to call completely different conditions clinical death. Perhaps the people who supposedly suffered it did not actually die, they simply had syncope, that is, fainting.

The main cause that leads to clinical death (as well as, in fact, to death in general) remains cardiovascular diseases. Generally speaking, such statistics are not kept, but we must clearly understand that clinical death occurs first, and then biological death. Since the first place in mortality in Russia is occupied by heart and vascular diseases, it is logical to assume that they most often lead to clinical death.

Dmitry Yeletskov

anesthesiologist-resuscitator, Volgograd

One way or another, the phenomenon of near-death experiences deserves careful study. And it’s quite difficult for scientists, because in addition to the fact that it is necessary to establish which chemical processes in the brain lead to the appearance of certain hallucinations, it is also necessary to distinguish truth from fiction.

If a person can live without food for a month, without water for several days, then the interrupted access of oxygen will cause breathing to stop within 3-5 minutes. But it’s too early to talk about final death right away, because clinical death occurs. This condition occurs when blood circulation and oxygen transfer to tissues stop.

To certain point a person can still be brought back to life, because irreversible changes have not yet affected the organs, and most importantly, the brain.

Manifestations

This medical term implies the simultaneous cessation respiratory function and blood circulation. According to the ICD, the condition is assigned code R 96 - death occurred suddenly due to for unknown reasons. You can recognize being on the verge of life by the following signs:

There is a loss of consciousness, which entails a cessation of blood flow.
There is no pulse for more than 10 seconds. This already indicates a violation of the blood supply to the brain.
Stopping breathing.
The pupils are dilated, but do not react to light.
Metabolic processes continue to occur at the same level.

Back in the 19th century, the listed symptoms were quite enough to declare and issue a person’s death certificate. But now the possibilities of medicine are enormous and doctors, thanks to resuscitation measures, may well be able to bring him back to life.

Pathophysiological basis of CS

The duration of such clinical death is determined by the time period during which brain cells are able to remain viable. According to doctors, there are two terms:

The duration of the first stage is no longer than 5 minutes. During this period, the lack of oxygen supply to the brain does not yet lead to irreversible consequences. Body temperature is within normal limits.

The history and experience of doctors shows that it is possible to revive a person after a given time, but there is a high probability of the death of most of the brain cells.

The second stage can last a long time if necessary conditions to slow down degeneration processes with impaired blood supply and oxygen supply. This stage is often observed when a person spends a long time in cold water or after an electric shock.

If in as soon as possible If no action is taken to bring the person back to life, then everything will end in biological care.

Causes of the pathological condition

This condition usually occurs when the heart stops. This can be caused by serious diseases, the formation of blood clots that clog important arteries. The reasons for the cessation of breathing and heartbeat may be as follows:

Excessive physical activity.
A nervous breakdown or the body's reaction to a stressful situation.
Anaphylactic shock.
Choking or obstruction of the airway.
Electric shock.
Violent death.
Vasospasm.
Serious illnesses affecting vessels or organs of the respiratory system.
Toxic shock from exposure to poisons or chemicals.

No matter the cause of this condition, during this period resuscitation should be carried out immediately. Delay is fraught with serious complications.

Duration

If we consider the entire body as a whole, then the period of preservation of normal viability is different for all systems and organs. For example, those located below the heart muscle are able to continue normal functioning for another half hour after cardiac arrest. Tendons and skin have maximum period survival, they can be resuscitated 8-10 hours after the death of the organism.

The brain is most sensitive to oxygen deficiency, so it suffers first. A few minutes are enough for his final death. That is why resuscitators and those who happened to be close to the person at that moment have a minimum amount of time to determine clinical death - 10 minutes. But it is advisable to spend even less, then the health consequences will be insignificant.

Introduction to the CS state artificially

There is a misconception that a coma caused by artificially the same as clinical death. But this is far from true. According to WHO, euthanasia is prohibited in Russia, and this is artificially induced care.

Induction into a medically induced coma is practiced. Doctors resort to it to avoid disorders that can adversely affect the brain. In addition, a coma helps to carry out several emergency operations in a row. Finds its application in neurosurgery and treatment of epilepsy.

Coma or medicated sleep, is caused by the introduction medicines only according to indications.

An artificial coma, unlike clinical death, is completely controlled by specialists and a person can be taken out of it at any time.

One of the symptoms is coma. But clinical and biological death is completely different concepts. Often, after being revived, a person falls into a coma. But doctors are confident that the body’s vital functions have been restored and recommend that relatives be patient.

How is it different from coma?

The comatose state has its own characteristic features, which fundamentally distinguish it from clinical death. The following distinctive features can be mentioned:

During clinical death, the work of the heart muscle suddenly stops and breathing movements stop. Coma is simply a loss of consciousness.
In a comatose state, a person continues to breathe instinctively; one can feel the pulse and listen to the heartbeat.
The duration of the coma can vary, from several days to months, but the borderline vital state will turn into biological withdrawal in 5-10 minutes.
According to the definition of coma, all vital functions are preserved, only they can be suppressed or violated. However, the outcome is the death of first the brain cells, and then the entire organism.

Will the comatose state end as initial link clinical death, complete care whether a person is from life or not depends on the speed of medical care.

Difference between biological and clinical death

If it so happened that at the time of clinical death there was no one near the person who could take resuscitation measures, then the survival rate is practically zero. After 6, maximum 10 minutes, complete death of brain cells occurs, any rescue measures are pointless.

The undeniable signs of final death are:

Clouding of the pupil and loss of luster of the cornea.
The eye shrinks and the eyeball loses its normal shape.
Another difference between clinical and biological death is sharp decline body temperature.
Muscles become dense after death.
Corpse spots appear on the body.

If the duration of clinical death can still be discussed, then for biological death there is no such concept. After the irreversible death of the brain, the spinal cord begins to die, and after 4-5 hours the functioning of the muscles, skin, and tendons stops.

First aid in case of CS

Before you start resuscitation actions, it is important to make sure that it is the CS phenomenon that occurs. Seconds are allotted for the assessment.

The mechanism is as follows:

Make sure there is no consciousness.
Make sure the person is not breathing.
Check pupil reaction and pulse.

If you know the signs of clinical and biological death, then diagnose dangerous condition will not be difficult.

The further algorithm of actions is as follows:

Release respiratory tract, to do this, remove the tie or scarf, if any, unbutton the shirt and pull out the sunken tongue. IN medical institutions At this stage of care, breathing masks are used.
Make a sharp blow to the heart area, but this action should only be done by a competent resuscitator.
Artificial respiration and indirect cardiac massage are performed. Fulfill cardiopulmonary resuscitation necessary before the ambulance arrives.

At such moments, a person realizes that life depends on competent actions.

Resuscitation in a clinical setting

After the ambulance arrives, doctors continue to bring the person back to life. Carrying out ventilation of the lungs, which is performed using breathing bags. The difference between this type of ventilation is the supply to lung tissue mixtures of gases with an oxygen content of 21%. At this time, the doctor may well perform other resuscitation actions.

Heart massage

Most often, simultaneously with ventilation of the lungs, indoor massage hearts. But during its implementation, it is important to correlate the force of pressure on the sternum with the age of the patient.

In children infancy The sternum should not move more than 1.5-2 centimeters during the massage. For school-age children, the depth can be 3-3.5 cm with a frequency of up to 85-90 per minute; for adults, these figures are 4-5 cm and 80 pressures, respectively.

There are situations when it is possible to perform an open massage of the heart muscle:

If cardiac arrest occurs during surgery.
Pulmonary embolism occurs.
Fractures of the ribs or sternum are observed.
Closed massage does not give results after 2-3 minutes.

If cardiac fibrillation is determined using a cardiogram, then doctors resort to another method of revival.

This procedure may be different types, which differ in technique and implementation features:

Chemical. Potassium chloride is administered intravenously, which stops fibrillation of the heart muscle. Currently, the method is not popular due to high risk asystole.
Mechanical. It also has a second name: “reanimation strike.” A regular punch is made to the sternum area. Sometimes the procedure can give the desired effect.
Medical defibrillation. The victim is administered antiarrhythmic drugs.
Electric. Used to start the heart electric current. This method is used as soon as possible, which significantly increases the chances of life during resuscitation.

For successful defibrillation, it is important to correctly position the device on chest, choose the current strength depending on age.

First aid for clinical death, provided in a timely manner, will bring a person back to life.

The study of this condition continues to this day; there are many facts that even competent scientists cannot explain.

Consequences

Complications and consequences for a person will depend entirely on how quickly help was provided to him, how much effective measures resuscitations were used. The faster the victim can be brought back to life, the more favorable the prognosis for health and psyche will be.

If you managed to spend only 3-4 minutes on revival, then there is a high probability that no negative manifestations there won't be. In the case of prolonged resuscitation, the lack of oxygen will have a detrimental effect on the condition of the brain tissue, up to their complete death. To slow down degenerative processes, pathophysiology recommends deliberately cooling the human body at the time of resuscitation in case of unforeseen delays.

Through the eyes of eyewitnesses

After a person returns to this sinful earth from a state of limbo, it is always interesting what can be experienced. Those who survived talk about their feelings like this:

They saw their body as if from the outside.
Complete calm and tranquility ensues.
Moments of life flash before your eyes, like stills from a movie.
The feeling of being in another world.
Encounters with unknown creatures.
They remember that a tunnel has appeared that they need to go through.

Among those who have experienced such a borderline state, many famous people, for example, Irina Panarovskaya, who became ill right at the concert. Oleg Gazmanov lost consciousness when he was electrocuted on stage. Andreichenko and Pugacheva also experienced this state. Unfortunately, the stories of people who experienced clinical death cannot be 100% verified. You can only take my word for it, especially since similar sensations are observed.

Scientific view

If lovers of esotericism see in stories a direct confirmation of the existence of life on the other side, then scientists try to give natural and logical explanations:

Flickering lights and sounds appear at the very first moment the blood flow through the body stops.
During clinical death, the concentration of serotonin rises sharply and causes peace.
The lack of oxygen also affects the organ of vision, which is why hallucinations with lights and tunnels appear.

The diagnosis of CS is a phenomenon that is interesting to scientists, and only thanks to high level medicine managed to save thousands of lives and prevent them from crossing that line where there is no turning back.