Technology: August 2013 Archives

Doctor Sam Parnia Believes Resurrection Is A Medical Possibility - SPIEGEL ONLINE

Resuscitation science has advanced tremendously, but the key techniques to bringing someone back from cardiac arrest aren't as widely known and used as they should be, says the author of Erasing Death. Chest compressions, no more than 8 breaths a minute with an ambu bag, cooling the body (down to about 32 degrees Celsius, or about 90 degrees Fahrenheit). "We use pads that get attached to the thighs and the upper body. In a matter of hours, the cooling machine brings the body temperature down to the desired level. But you could also do this at home, if you found someone there in cardiac arrest. Call an ambulance, administer CPR and place a bag of frozen peas or other frozen vegetables on the patient. It helps to protect the brain....

"Most brain damage after resuscitation occurs not within the first few minutes of death, but in the hours up to the first 72 hours after resuscitation. But with proper post resuscitation care, we can minimize that.... A recent study found that the optimal length of resuscitation to yield higher survival is at least 40 minutes. Yet most doctors will stop within 20 minutes.... As long as hospitals don't require their resuscitation doctors to implement all the nuances required to save brains and lives after cardiac arrest through fully trained specialists, survival rates in general will not improve."

Read through to page 2 to learn about Parnia's research into near-death experiences.