Near-death experiences and consciousness

It's unequivocal in it's claims.

Sabom²² mentions a young American
woman who had complications during brain surgery for
a cerebral aneurysm. The EEG of her cortex and
brainstem had become totally flat. After the operation,
which was eventually successful, this patient proved to
have had a very deep NDE, including an out-of-body
experience, with subsequently verified observations
during the period of the flat EEG.

With lack of evidence for any other theories for NDE,
the thus far assumed, but never proven, concept that
consciousness and memories are localised in the brain
should be discussed.

With lack of evidence for any other theories for NDE,
the thus far assumed, but never proven, concept that
consciousness and memories are localised in the brain
should be discussed. How could a clear consciousness
outside one’s body be experienced at the moment that
the brain no longer functions during a period of clinical
death with flat EEG?22 Also, in cardiac arrest the EEG
usually becomes flat in most cases within about 10 s
from onset of syncope.29,30 Furthermore, blind people
have described veridical perception during out-of-body
experiences at the time of this experience.31 NDE pushes
at the limits of medical ideas about the range of human
consciousness and the mind-brain relation.Another theory holds that NDE might be a changing
state of consciousness (transcendence), in which
identity, cognition, and emotion function independently
from the unconscious body, but retain the possibility of
non-sensory perception.Research should be concentrated on the effort to
explain scientifically the occurrence and content of
NDE. Research should be focused on certain specific
elements of NDE, such as out-of-body experiences
and other verifiable aspects. Finally, the theory
and background of transcendence should be included as
a part of an explanatory framework for these
experiences.

Btw, as an aside, it's interesting that one piece of a skull can warrant articles, reconstructions, and reviews of evolutionary paths and is treated as significant non-anecdotal evidence, but at the same time, an account of a NDE where someone remembers specifics while their brain was not functioning is anecdotal.

Without more compelling information about memory reconstruction or evidence from NDE studies, I think it's dismissive to suggest that no conscious processes are happening during a flat EEG. I think the best we can do is to say, "yes, we don't know. Not enough data to find an adequate explanation."

You claimed the Lancet article did not make the claim of consciousness occuring without brain activity, but it does make that claim.