In the name of life: Scientists intend to immerse some seriously wounded people in anabiosis
Last reviewed: 23.04.2024
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Soon anabiosis will not become science fiction: In the hope of saving lives, surgeon-traumatologists intend to immerse some seriously wounded people in deep cold - cooling the body temperature to -50 degrees.
The new strategy involves placing patients in a state of extreme hypothermia that would allow them to survive without damage to the brain for about an hour.
In an experiment funded by the Ministry of Defense, scientists from the University of Pittsburgh are preparing to test this technique for victims who, due to massive blood loss due to gunshot or stab wounds, have a high risk of cardiac arrest. To date, with such injuries, only 7% of people survive.
Lead researcher Dr. Samuel Tischerman from the University of Pittsburgh says: "We hope that this technique will help doctors to gain time to save lives in critical conditions." His team plans to begin research early next year in Pittsburgh.
If a radical approach works, we will be able to reconsider previous opinions about the boundary between life and death, says Dr. Arthur Kaplan, a biologist at the University of Pennsylvania.
To date, scientists are solving the legal aspects of the experiment. As is known, the law requires written consent to participate in medical experiments after acquainting participants with the ego procedure, possible side effects and therapeutic value. Pass the entire procedure provided by law in case of severe injuries and significant blood loss is impossible, because they require prompt assistance and surgical intervention. In such cases, there may not even be time to get permission from relatives.
Therefore, from November 15, 2011, the Pittsburgh team of scientists launched a campaign to educate citizens on the Internet about upcoming research. Fearing serious risks, such as brain damage, residents often refuse to take part in a study in the event of injuries that are life-threatening.
Doctors have long been trying to use hypothermia in medicine, discovering that cooling slows down the metabolism of the brain and other organs, dispensing with oxygen for a longer time. In particular, the method of hypothermia is used in the transportation of donor organs.
The use of deep hypothermia at body temperature of about -50 degrees over the past 10 years has shown the effectiveness of treatment in dogs and pigs, which were taken as a model of human trauma.
Biological specialist Dr. Arthur Kaplan, says that the use of hypothermia is associated with one danger - despite saving lives, during the operation, serious brain damage can occur that lead to disability. Therefore, in such situations, many people would prefer to simply die.
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