Terminal respiratory secretions (or simply terminal secretions),[1] known colloquially as a death rattle,[2] are sounds often produced by someone who is near death as a result of fluids such as saliva and bronchial secretions accumulating in the throat and upper chest.[3] Those who are dying may lose their ability to swallow and may have increased production of bronchial secretions, resulting in such an accumulation. Usually, two or three days earlier, the symptoms of approaching death can be observed as saliva accumulates in the throat, making it very difficult to take even a spoonful of water. Related symptoms can include shortness of breath and rapid chest movement. While death rattle is a strong indication that someone is near death,[4] it can also be produced by other problems that cause interference with the swallowing reflex, such as brain injuries.[3]
- Near Death in the ICU gives voice to ICU patients who report near death experiences, out of body experiences, and afterlife communications. As a scientist, Dr. Bellg is careful not to explain what she considers beyond the scope of modern day science.
- A near-death experience (NDE) is a profound personal experience associated with death or impending death which researchers claim share similar characteristics.When positive, such experiences may encompass a variety of sensations including detachment from the body, feelings of levitation, total serenity, security, warmth, the experience of absolute dissolution, and the presence of a light.
It is sometimes misinterpreted as the sound of the person choking to death or gargling.
While death rattle is a strong indication that someone is near death, it can also be produced by other problems that cause interference with the swallowing reflex, such as brain injuries. 3 It is sometimes misinterpreted as the sound of the person choking to death or gargling. When Death Nears: Signs and Symptoms. The final days and hours of life can be rich with meaning and expressions of love. This is also a time of change and transition, both physically and emotionally, and no two people experience the end of life in the same way. Seventeen Case-Studies of the Near-Death Experience Follow. An example of the out-of-body component of the near-death experience is the case of Jazmyne Cidavia-DeRepentigny of Hull Georgia. She died on the operating table during surgery in late 1979 (pages 10-11, paperback version, 'BEYOND THE LIGHT').
Timing[edit]
This symptom most commonly appears sometime during the last 24 hours of the person's life, although some people live somewhat longer.[5]
Management[edit]
The dying person is usually unaware of the noisy breathing and is not disturbed by it, but some healthcare providers attempt to minimize the sound for the emotional comfort of family members and caregivers.[6] This may be done through repositioning the person, reducing the volume of IV fluids being given, or giving anticholinergic drugs to reduce secretions.[5] In hospice and palliative care, drugs such as glycopyrronium, hyoscine hydrobromide (scopolamine) or atropine may be used for their anticholinergic effects to reduce secretions and minimize this effect.[7]
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^Clinical Working Party (December 2010). 'Guidelines for the management of respiratory secretions in an imminently dying patient'(PDF). Eastern Metropolitan Region Palliative Care Consortium (Victoria). Retrieved 13 April 2014.,
- ^Cobbs, Elizabeth L; et al. 'When Death Is Near'. MSD Manuals. MSD Manuals (Consumer Version). Retrieved 14 March 2016.
- ^ abBickel, Katherine; Arnold, Robert. '# 109 Death Rattle and Oral Secretions, 2nd ed'. Fast Facts. End-of-Life/Palliative Education Resource Center. Retrieved 4 September 2017.
- ^Wee, B.; Hillier, R. (2008). Wee, B. (ed.). 'Interventions for noisy breathing in patients near to death'. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews (1): CD005177. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD005177.pub2. PMC6478131. PMID18254072.
- ^ abFerrell, Betty; Coyle, Nessa; Paice, Judith A. (2015). Oxford Textbook of Palliative Nursing (4th ed.). Oxford University Press. pp. 253–255. ISBN9780199332342. OCLC875629996.
- ^'When Death Is Near – Fundamentals – Merck Manuals Consumer Version'. Merck Manuals Consumer Version. Retrieved 2017-06-24.
- ^Hipp, B.; Letizia, M. (2009). 'Understanding and responding to the death rattle in dying patients'. Medsurg Nursing. 18 (1): 17–21, 32, quiz 22. PMID19331295.
External links[edit]
| Look up death rattle in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. |
- Pulmonary Breath Sounds, a page that includes a death rattle sound clip (published by East Tennessee State University)
Gordie recounts his near-death experience when he attempted to commit suicide, and it's a disturbing tale
I'm unsure how to speak of my experience in a clear way, without dramatics that even I question at times. So I'll start at the part that was very real, physically: at the end.
I had the sensation of being sucked through the black vastness toward two tiny dots of light, faster and faster. As the suction grew more intense and the dots of light became larger, I began to brace for impact, but there was no way to ready myself for it. Before I knew it, I was at the edge of the dots of light.
Now, like huge windows from which I could see my wife in our bed, from the peripheral, then -- BOOM! -- I slammed back into my body with a force that jolted me up into a sitting position and startled my wife.
It was 2004, Portland, Oregon and although depressed, my life was actually moving along fairly well. I've always been depressed, though, and I've always half-assed my attempts at suicide. This time was no different, except that now I was struggling to breathe and rushed to the hospital. A few rounds of charcoal later and I was free of the sleeping pills I overdosed on. Only minutes after I got back home, I began to remember what happened. I died, or almost died. I had been to the other side.
Over the next year, I was initially flooded with memories of my experience, then it tapered off into bits and pieces. I was left to put all this together in a way that made sense. So here's my story, less in detail and more in event.
I found myself slowly floating down a dark tunnel with walls like a smooth, wet mud. Every so often it looked to be ribbed. At the bottom was a light unlike what we see here in this world. It was jagged against the dark, bright and blinding, soft and warm, and it came from an open space at the floor of this tunnel.
I floated for millions of years, or maybe just seconds, I'm not sure. I was not aware of my body. I was not aware of time. My thoughts were all in truth and understood before even asking the questions. As I came closer to the light, I began to slow my float until I stopped, hanging in mid-air.
I began feeling a warmth on my back, warmer and warmer it became until the light was directly behind me, to my left. It touched me on my shoulder and spoke to me in my mind. I did not turn to look at it. Before I could even ask, the voice answered. I needed to make my choice, but I could only do that through witnessing my life, the good and bad, its effects on others, and what those relationships would be, if I did not go back.
Near Death Hell
I saw everything. In one minute I was happy and proud of who I was and things I did; in another I felt sick and sad and wrong. I saw the branches of the tree of my actions, and I saw my wife, broken, sad, lonely, and very angry with me. I saw my other family members, a few friends (who were pissed as well) and even my dog, my baby dog sepie, my best friend, sick, afraid and lonely, dead in two years from my death.
Near Death Experience 2019 Testimonies
I also saw flashes of lives I had already lived. Two other times I had committed suicide and destroyed my loved ones. Another life I drowned at sea as the whaling boat I was on sank. It was after all this, which felt timeless and immeasurable, that i heard the voice again. it was answering questions as i was thinking them. it told me things i needed to know and understand. it warned me of the hard road ahead should I go back.
Near Death Signs Of Parvo
But it also warned me of the devastation I would leave behind if I chose to stay. When I asked the light why my life felt so sad, so hard, and why I had to endure such a struggle, it simply answered, 'Because you can.'
Then I was asked my decision, and before I could answer I felt the suction pulling me toward those two dots of light, faster and faster, until I slammed into my eyes and body. Everything I read about near-death experiences are stories of positive change, a higher understanding, a calming or even of returning with psychic powers, but for me it has been none of those things.
It has been confusion, sadness, disbelief and untold loss every since that night... and I don't know why.
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