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4573
qualitative
journal
Smit, Rudolf H., "Corroboration of the Dentures Anecdote Involving Veridical Perception in a Near-Death Experience," Journal of Near-Death Studies, 27(1), Fall 2008, pp. 47-61. Patient B., Case 1
Journal of Near-Death Studies, Volume 27, Number 1, Pages 47-61, 2008
1979
2008
44
M
A 44-year-old man was found comatose in a meadow near Ooy, Netherlands, after suffering a massive heart attack. He had been lying there for an extended period and was hypothermic when found. Upon arrival at the hospital, he showed no vital signs - no pulse, no breathing, no blood pressure, and was "cold as ice" with post-mortem lividity. During resuscitation procedures, nurse T.G. removed the patient's dentures and placed them on a wooden sliding shelf of the crash cart before intubation.
The patient remained in deep coma throughout the resuscitation, showing no pupillary reflexes and keeping his eyes closed except during pupil checks. After intensive CPR including manual and machine heart massage, five defibrillation episodes, and over an hour of effort, the team achieved minimal heart rhythm and blood pressure. The patient was transferred to the ICU where he remained on artificial respiration for over a week. When the patient finally recovered consciousness and was moved to the cardiac ward, he immediately recognized nurse T.G. and said "You know where my dentures are!" He accurately described how the nurse had removed his dentures and placed them on the crash cart with "all these bottles on it and there was this sliding drawer underneath." The patient reported experiencing an out-of-body perspective, floating above and watching from a corner of the room. He could describe the small resuscitation room in detail, including the wash basin, mirror, and metal cabinet locations, despite having never been in that hospital before. During his experience, the patient felt the physical pain of the heart massage while simultaneously observing from above. He wanted to tell the team he was alive and to stop the painful compressions, but later when they considered stopping, he desperately wanted them to continue. After four weeks, he was discharged as a healthy man, though he appeared as a "cardiac cripple" at follow-up and died a few years later.
1
Hospital
15
15
45
Moderate Evidence
15
Documented cardiac arrest with no vital signs, post-mortem lividity present, hypothermic, extensive resuscitation required
Patient accurately described dentures placement on unique crash cart while clinically dead, described room layout never seen before
written_account
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Eyes closed throughout except for pupil checks
7/24/2025
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