Archive for October 2007

Combination therapy: The patient’s view

One consequence of the growing understanding of the biochemical pathways involved in brain injury resulting from cardiac arrest, stroke, and brain trauma is that there is an increasing consensus among researchers that combination therapy is the most logical treatment for the multifactorial injury mechanisms responsible for neuronal death. In this context, combination therapy can [...]

End tidal carbon dioxide monitoring in cryonics

The best non-invasive indicator of cardiac output and oxygenation during cardiopulmonary support (CPS) is end tidal carbon dioxide (ETCO2). ETCO2 is the partial pressure of carbon dioxide (CO2) at the end of an exhaled breath. Until recently, cryonics standby kits were equipped with disposable colorimetric ETCO2 detectors. Some limitations of the disposable ETCO2 detectors [...]

In situ chemical fixation of whale brains

As discussed by R. Michael Perry in his recent contribution to Cryonics Magazine, “Alternatives to Cryonics: A Very Preliminary Study,” (3rd Quarter 2007) chemical fixation of the brain may be a substitute for cryopreservation in circumstances where cryonics is not feasible or affordable. Several issues come into play when attempting to determine whether chemical fixation [...]