There is scientific evidence to prove life can continue even after death, according to the largest medical study to date carried out on the controversial subject.

A team of scientists from the University of Southampton in the U.K. spent the last four years observing 2,060 cardiac arrest patients at 15 hospitals in the U.S., U.K. and Austria to analyze Near Death Experiences or NDEs.

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Experts said that when the heart stops beating, the brain automatically shuts down after 20 to 30 minutes. After that, it's not possible for a person to be aware of anything at all.

Scientists in the new study, however, said they recorded convincing evidence patients experienced awareness for up to three minutes after their brains shut down. They said patients also had detailed recollections of visual awareness consistent with verified events.

The team found nearly 40 percent of those who survived NDEs described some form of "awareness" at a time when they were clinically dead and before their hearts were restarted.

Seven patients claimed detailed memories and two more had specific auditory or visual memories. 

One of these patients is a 57-year-old social worker who accurately described the hospital scene from when he was clinically unconscious. His observation included the beeping of the machine, the defibrillator that restarted his heart and the physical appearance of the doctors who attended to him, all of which were then verified as correct.

"The evidence thus far suggests that in the first few minutes after death, consciousness is not annihilated," said Dr. Sam Parnia, director of the resuscitation research at the State University of New York.

Dr. Parnia said the study is likely to debunk the belief that NDEs are hallucinations or illusions that occurr either before the heart stops or after it has been successfully restarted. He said many people may have NDEs but drugs or sedatives used in the resuscitation process may have prevented them from remembering.

Scientists said that further studies are needed to improve scientific understanding about NDEs, specifically during cardiac arrest. 

TagsLife after death