X-Message-Number: 3699
Date: 17 Jan 95 00:07:45 EST
From: Mike Darwin <>
Subject: SCI.CRYONICS Re: Cloning and Neurosuspension

In reply to Mike Price.  Yes, you can glycerolize a head faster than a body,
about 1/3rd to 1/2 the time required.  As to your observations about whole body

perfusions deficits: you are quite right, NO whole body patient I have ever done
has perfused fully or evenly.  This is probably not a result of the arterial
structure (after all, the same structure perfuses your entire body quite nicely
when you are alive!)  But rather relates to many other factors any one or
combination opf which may be contributory to failed perfusion:

1) Peripheral vasoconstriction due to shock in the agonal period

2) Clots in perhipheral vesseels secondary to #1 above and reduced blood flow as
a result of decreased cardiac output and low arterial pressure (i.e., shock)
3) Cold agglutination plugging up peripheral arterioles
4) Interuuption of flow to the the lower legs due to femoral cannulation during
in-field TBW.  To the best of my knowledge ALL whole body patients perfused by
Alcor and/or me have one un cryoprotected leg if fwemoral-femoral bypass was
initiated in the field.  I plan to solve this problem in the future by stenting

the vessels I've interrupted for bypass.  In the past Jerry and I didn't bother;
we were too busy with other things.

Finally, only rarely in my experience do whole body patient's lower extremeties
perfuse well regardless of whether there are intact femorals or not.  I have
actually done venous and arterial cut downs at the ankle on a couple of these
patients and observed only the slowest trickle of pink tinged perfusate issue
from either vessel type if opened.  Some fluoid is moving, but not a lot.

We are also trying to hold the pressure down to to 40-60 mmHg range to limit
edemea in the brain, this probably also effects peripheral perfusion.  Brains
perfuse very well under these conditions and usually the upper torso (skin) and
arms will perfuse well on a WB patient; although it is not uncommon to see
failed perfusion of a hand,finger or patch of tissue etc.  Much depedents upon
premortem conditions incuding the presence or absence of cold agglutins and/or
clots.  However, areas of failed perfusion are often seen even with optimally
transported patients.  Clearly, poorly stabilized patients or those with
prolonged agonal hypoperfusion will have more failed areas of perfusion.

The best cases seem to be those who have low white counts (due to chemo) liver

failure and prolonged clotting times and who are washed out quickly.  Cannon and
Fried had almost uniform cutaneous glycerolization and excellent brain
glycerolization as well.

Mike Darwin

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