Observations placeholder
Young boy hallucinates from syncope
Identifier
006567
Type of Spiritual Experience
Background
The implication in the description was that before he went completely unconscious he 'saw stars' for a brief instant.
Syncope is the medical term for fainting or passing out, is precisely defined as a transient loss of consciousness and postural tone, characterized by rapid onset, short duration, and spontaneous recovery, due to global cerebral hypoperfusion (low blood flow to the brain) that most often results from hypotension (low blood pressure).
A description of the experience
Ann Emerg Med. 2003 Feb;41(2):223-6. "Suffocation roulette": a case of recurrent syncope in an adolescent boy. Shlamovitz GZ, Assia A, Ben-Sira L, Rachmel A.
We present the case of a 12-year-old boy admitted with a complaint of recurrent syncopal episodes. A careful history taking revealed the cause of the syncopal episodes to be a dangerous game played by adolescents called "suffocation roulette." We believe that recognition of this game as a possible cause of syncopal events, together with prompt educative intervention, might prevent adolescent morbidity and mortality and also might eliminate the need for unnecessary medical investigations.
PMID: 12548272