Treating the dead

[mindstalk]

Heart attacks don't kill, floods of oxygen kill.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18368186/site/newsweek/

More exactly, cells take hours to die without oxygen. But a flood of oxygent to a starved cell apparently makes it look like a cancer cell, triggering apoptosis (programmed cell death). Oops! So they're working on resuscitation techniques based on gradual oxygen uptake, and blood cooling.

Comments

[schenker28.livejournal.com]

Fascinating article! Wow!

[unforth.livejournal.com]

Agreed, I didn't read it all but it's way interesting stuff!! One of those things I really hope they figure out, can you imagine how many lives they'd save??

[fanw.livejournal.com]

Wow! That's fascinating! I find it particularly interesting the methods they are using to keep people around, namely "put 'em on ice" and keep the blood flowing till you can start the heart again. How wierd to think that a dead person only has organ failure, but can be resuscitated. Of course, haven't their been studies that say that if you wait too long and _can_ resuscitate some people have brain damage? Or is that just something I assumed from ER and Grey's Anatomy. Hmmm.