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- From: kqb@cbnewsl.cb.att.com (kevin.q.brown)
- Newsgroups: sci.cryonics
- Subject: Sedatives and Neural Ischemia.
- Message-ID: <1992Dec23.171218.4281@cbnewsl.cb.att.com>
- Date: 23 Dec 92 17:12:18 GMT
- Organization: AT&T Bell Laboratories
- Lines: 26
- X-Crossposted-To: cryonics mailing list
-
-
- ------------------------ Forwarded Message ------------------------
-
- > Date: Wed, 23 Dec 1992 09:26:11 -0500
- > From: Ken Stone <stone@eng.umd.edu>
- > Message-Subject: Sedatives and Neural Ischemia.
-
- Has anyone investigated the use of major sedatives to slow neural function
- immediately before clinical death?
-
- consider:
-
- (1) The brain burns more oxygen than any other part of the body.
- (2) Reduced neural activity has been shown to correspond to a significant
- reduction in oxygen consumption.
- (3) Some sedatives significantly reduce neural activity.
-
- I would imagine that a lot of ischemic damage during cool-down (and warm-up!)
- could be avoided by infusing sodium pentothal (e.g.) into the blood before
- cardio-vascular failure occurs.
-
- Although the idea is not without its problems (complications with revival,
- added hassles from hostile coroners, etc.), I think the potential gains from
- not having oxygen-starved neurons are pretty self-evident...
-
- ---Ken
-