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4978
qualitative
book
Laurin Bellg MD, Near Death in the ICU, Sloan Press, Chapter 5, Fred, Pages 1-8, 2015
Near Death in the ICU, Fred, Chapter 5, Pages 1-8, 2015
1974
2015
20
M
Fred, a 20-year-old university wrestling student, underwent knee surgery in March 1974 to repair a torn ligament from a wrestling injury. Under general anesthesia, he experienced his consciousness shooting out of the top of his head and observed the surgery from above his body. The sterile drape that should have blocked his view was no barrier to his elevated perspective.
From his vantage point above, Fred watched the entire surgical scene unfold. He saw his knee, brown from sterilizing solution, protruding through a hole in the blue sterile draping like "a desert island in a vast expanse of ocean." He observed Dr. Davis, the attending surgeon, standing on one side of the operating table while a resident with distinctive rectangular silver-rimmed glasses and ginger hair stood opposite. The team sorted instruments and discussed the surgical steps. Fred made a crucial observation that would later validate his experience: Dr. Davis was not holding the scalpel. Instead, the resident physician was performing the surgery under supervision. Fred had assumed Dr. Davis would operate, as this was never discussed beforehand. He tried to scream "I'm still awake!" but no sound emerged. When the resident made the incision, Fred was shocked to feel no pain despite seeing the knife sink into his knee. Upon awakening in recovery, Fred excitedly shared his experience with Dr. Davis, who adamantly denied it was possible, insisting Fred was "completely unresponsive under anesthesia." When Fred revealed he knew the resident had performed the surgery, not Dr. Davis, the surgeon dismissed this as a "lucky guess" despite Fred accurately describing details impossible to know from beneath the sterile drape. The physician's dismissive response left Fred feeling shut down and disrespected.
3
Hospital
7
15
32
Moderate Evidence
10
General anesthesia for knee surgery
Accurately identified resident as surgeon despite expectations
written_account
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Sterile drape blocking view
8/3/2025
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