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Suspended animation slows down the body’s processes, making it appear dead but giving medical personnel more time to treat critical injuries. Different methods are being researched, including inducing severe hypothermia or poisoning the body with a toxic gas. This procedure could save lives and enable long-term space travel.
Suspended animation is a state induced by various means in which the processes of a living body are slowed down to the extent that the body is neither alive nor dead. Apparently, the body appears dead because vital functions such as heartbeat and breathing are virtually undetectable except by medical devices. It was originally a concept that only existed in science fiction, but there are many research efforts dedicated to making it a reality. The researchers believe the process, once perfected, will give medical personnel more time to treat critical wounds and save lives that would otherwise be lost.
In suspended animation, the body is artificially put into a state that is on the verge of death. Some research labs are conducting animal experiments and they all use different methodologies. One approach attempts to inject a cold fluid into the body to induce severe hypothermia. When the body temperature drops beyond a certain point, all metabolic processes also slow down. This saves the body from dying from a critical injury.
Cooling the body and flushing the veins with organ-preserving fluid induces a state of suspended animation. Pigs were used as test subjects and injuries were inflicted on their bodies after 60 percent of their blood was removed. The pigs went into states of suspended animation and the surgeons used the time to repair the otherwise fatal wounds. When their body temperatures were restored to normal levels, the pigs survived the procedures without any cognitive impairment.
The body is cooled down to reduce its oxygen demand. When a body experiences trauma, its demand for oxygen is quite high, but the supply is low due to blood loss. As a result, the body first suffers brain damage, followed by death in a very short time. By slowing metabolic activity, the body’s need for oxygen decreases, giving medical personnel more time to deal with the damage.
Another research effort induces suspended animation by poisoning the body with a toxic gas such as hydrogen sulfide. The idea here is to keep the body alive in an oxygen-free environment by reducing its oxygen demands. When exposed to high concentrations of gases slightly below toxic levels, the body enters a state of suspended animation. This approach is inspired by the way animals hibernate, where the biological activities of an organism come to a halt when the amount of oxygen in the air reaches a critical level.
If the body receives a dose of toxic gas for a certain period of time, it depresses metabolic functions and reduces the need for oxygen. Breathing decreases and the body requires fewer breaths and very little oxygen. It becomes possible to stay in a state between life and death by providing an atmosphere containing very little oxygen. The body is revived by returning oxygen levels to normal.
Surgeons, trauma care specialists and ambulance personnel believe this procedure will allow for better survival rates: once the body is shut down, surgeons will have about an hour and a half to operate and repair the damage. Considered a last resort to save people with otherwise life-threatening injuries, this procedure could give victims of accidents, heart attacks and strokes the critical minutes they need to get to a hospital before irreversible bodily harm occurs. Once perfected, the process will also enable long-term space travel.
