A handful of adventuresome scientists are studying the molecular secrets of hibernation and extreme hypothermia in hopes of finding a new generation of treatments that can slow down metabolism for just a few hours. Their goal is to buy time after a car accident, gunshot wound or massive heart attack to get a person into the hospital and into surgery before they die or suffer extensive brain damage.
Their work is in the very preliminary stages, and human trials are only now being planned. But the implications are huge if any of these treatments work. Without oxygen, heart cells begin to die in 20 minutes. Brain cells last just 5 minutes without oxygen. Despite defibrillators and other modern gear, survival rates after cardiac arrest are around 30% inside hospitals and 5% or so outside of them.Source: Forbes
I hope this works but wonder how clinical trials will be done.
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