Surgeons replace a trauma patient's blood with ice-cold saline solution to drop body temperature dramatically. In this state of clinical death, they perform critical operations before safely reviving the patient. This biostasis technique—also called 'suspended animation'—shows immense promise but requires further validation from experts at leading institutions.
As reported by New Scientist on November 20, 2019, surgeons at the University of Maryland conducted the first human tests of biostasis, a method echoing cryonics principles used by medical pioneers.
The process works by infusing cold saline solution to lower the patient's body temperature to between 10 and 15°C. This suspends nearly all brain activity, giving doctors roughly two hours in clinical death to stabilize the patient. The heart is then restarted, and body temperature normalized.
Approved by the FDA, these trials for Emergency Preservation and Resuscitation (EPR) were underway, with results expected by late 2020. Outcomes, including enrollment numbers and survival rates, would reveal the technique's true efficacy.
Trials target cardiac-arrest patients at the University of Maryland Medical Center with severe trauma, such as gunshot or stab wounds. These life-or-death cases exempt surgeons from obtaining prior consent.
Project leaders emphasize this is early-stage research. Initial goals focus on proving biostasis feasibility, followed by defining optimal applications and patient profiles.
If validated, suspended animation could transform emergency care, dramatically boosting survival odds for patients untreatable by conventional means.
The technique gained attention at the University of Maryland as early as 2016.
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