X-Message-Number: 17503
Date: Mon, 10 Sep 2001 15:57:30 -0400
From: William Gale <>
Subject: initial cooling

An article in the current Discovery magazine on cooling cardiac arrest
patients 
is encouraging that better cooling techniques are being developed and
accepted.  
(The article cites work by Michael Darwin and Steven Harris, who have
provided 
cooling for cryonics patients and by Lance Becker and Ken Kasza who
focus on 
resuscitation.)  

The article also made me aware that the researchers in this area believe
that 
irreversible brain damage occurs about five minutes after blood stops
reaching 
the brain.  This is an incredibly short time to take the initial cooling
steps.  
I'm wondering what arrangements are made to accomplish it.  

The CI web site has this short note:

The patient should be pronounced dead as soon as possible after clinical
death 
(which usually means after cessation of heartbeat and breathing). As
soon as 
possible after that, he should be cooled--especially the head--by
application 
of ice or other available means. The best scenario is for the patient to
die 
at home under hospice care, with trained personnel
--CI or family or morticians--on hand.

Is there more detail somewhere?  

Cordially,
Gale

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