Humans put into suspended animation for first time

The Guardian ^ | November 20, 2019 | Ian Sample

[LesbianThespianGymnasticMidget]

Groundbreaking trial in US rapidly cools trauma victims with catastrophic injury to buy more time for surgery

Doctors have put humans into a state of suspended animation for the first time in a groundbreaking trial that aims to buy more time for surgeons to save seriously injured patients.

The process involves rapidly cooling the brain to less than 10C by replacing the patient’s blood with ice-cold saline solution. Typically the solution is pumped directly into the aorta, the main artery that carries blood away from the heart to the rest of the body.

Known formally as emergency preservation and resuscitation, or EPR, the procedure is being trialled on people who sustain such catastrophic injuries that they are in danger of bleeding to death and who suffer a heart attack shortly before they can be treated. The patients, who are often victims of stabbings or shootings, would normally have less than a 5% chance of survival.

Samuel Tisherman, at the University of Maryland, in Baltimore, described the trial at a recent symposium held by the New York Academy of Sciences. He said at least one patient had had the procedure but did not elaborate on whether that patient or any others had survived. The first time the team performed the process was “a little surreal”, he told New Scientist magazine.

Rapid cooling of trauma victims is designed to reduce brain activity to a near standstill and to slow the patient’s physiology enough to give surgeons precious extra minutes, perhaps more than an hour, to operate. Once the patient’s injuries have been attended to, they are warmed up and resuscitated.

[MrEdd]

Sure.

Get back to me when humans are successfully revived from long term “suspended animation”.

[ResponseAbility]

Uh-oh, Upgrayedd gonna get his money!

[Buckeye McFrog]

The process involves rapidly cooling the brain to less than 10C by replacing the patient’s blood with ice-cold saline solution.

I've done it by gulping down Dairy Queen in July.

[umgud]

The patients, who are often victims of stabbings or shootings, would normally have less than a 5% chance of survival.

This could lower the murder rate in Chicago.

[Larry Lucido]

Here you go.

[shotgun]

With 2 D’s for a double dose of pimpin’...

[RedStateRocker]

I imagine that if the equipment could be made chopper portable this would be a Very Good Thing on the battlefield.

[\/\/ayne]

This novel of an early hibernation experiment predicted smartphones in the future world the hibernated man woke up in. Except the portable computer/phones were called "Joysticks" and also shot an LSD type drug mist if you needed a pick-me-up.

[Dacula]

They will use Brawndo - It’s got electrolytes.

[faithhopecharity]

HilLIARy (and Ruth Bader Ginsberg) look like early trial failures

[\/\/ayne]

Not “joystick,” “Joymaker.”

[RandallFlagg]

[fruser1]

When I saw this was from the Guardian I thought they were doing this in the UK to help patients waiting for service.

[MrEdd]

https://youtu.be/FLB2WFszjQU

More cryogenic suspension, also from 1966.

[Widget Jr]

I'm sorry Dave. I'm afraid I can't do that.

[Alas Babylon!]

He said at least one patient had had the procedure but did not elaborate on whether that patient or any others had survived.

Not to go out on a limb, but surviving would be a pretty important point before we all jump up and call this a success...

[Moonman62]

Hospitals have been using ice tables for a long time.

Also, during open heart surgery I believe they chill the blood with the bypass machine and pack ice around the heart.

So this new therapy doesn’t seem too out of the ordinary except for the use of saline.

[Bloody Sam Roberts]

Dayum! So cheesy my cholesterol rose 100 points by just watching the intro!

I will definitely have to watch it later on after I triple dose my Lipitor.

[MrEdd]

Well, to let you know just how cheesy, the show became known as the place actors go after being Doctor Who...

But it’s a hoot.