X-Message-Number: 23906 From: "John de Rivaz" <> References: <> Subject: Re: Francis Crick on consciousness and personhood Date: Fri, 16 Apr 2004 16:25:07 +0100 > Message #23884 > From: "Mark Plus" <> > Subject: Francis Crick on consciousness and personhood > Date: Tue, 13 Apr 2004 15:48:47 -0700 <del> > One potential application, he says, is some kind of instrument for measuring > its intensity, perhaps a "consciousometer." Anesthesiologists might use it > to determine when a patient under sedation is truly out. But in his book, < rest del> from http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99994878 A large international trial has proved that a simple "awareness" device, called a BIS monitor, can cut the number of cases of awareness during surgery by 80 per cent. and Disturbingly, though, it seems that many anaesthetists do not even recognise the need for a monitor because they grossly underestimate the likelihood of patients becoming aware. and After around 1 in a 1000 operations done under a general anaesthetic, a patient will have some recollection of the operation. and In 2003, the company that makes the device, Aspect Medical Systems of Boston, won approval from the US Food and Drug Administration to market it to prevent awareness during operations too, based partly on the results of the trial. and finally In the end, the decision about BIS monitoring may be taken out of anaesthetists' hands. Now that a monitor is available, and has been proven to reduce awareness during surgery, the fear of litigation may force its use in many countries. *** ... so litigation does have its uses after all! -- Sincerely, John de Rivaz: http://John.deRivaz.com for websites including Cryonics Europe, Longevity Report, The Venturists, Porthtowan, Alec Harley Reeves - inventor, Arthur Bowker - potter, de Rivaz genealogy, Nomad .. and more Rate This Message: http://www.cryonet.org/cgi-bin/rate.cgi?msg=23906