Groundbreaking Procedure Raises Ethical and Scientific Concerns
An 80-year-old Australian man passed away on May 12th and was cryogenically preserved at -200°C in anticipation of future medical advancements.
Southern Cryonics, the Australian company behind the procedure, announced the successful cryopreservation of their first client, who paid a reported $170,000 for the process, per the Independent on May 30th. This marks the first time an Australian has been cryogenically preserved after death in the hopes of being revived by future medical breakthroughs.
Cryopreservation Process
The individual, known as "Patient 1" by Southern Cryonics, was transferred from a hospital morgue to a funeral home where they were kept on ice immediately after their passing. A team of perfusionists (specialists typically involved in cardiovascular surgery) and physicians then worked diligently for 10 hours, following specific protocols to stabilize the body.
The team utilized an ECMO (extracorporeal membrane oxygenation) machine during the stabilization process. "The patient was enclosed in a custom-made sleeping bag with the ability to withstand the liquid nitrogen. Patient 1 was then cooled to the temperature of dry ice and transported to our Holbrook facility," stated the company.
The body was then gradually lowered to -200°C, the temperature of liquid nitrogen, in Southern Cryonics' cryogenic chamber. The company meticulously adhered to procedures developed in collaboration with Arizona Medical Science's Dr. Aaron Drake.
Scientific and Ethical Considerations
The cryopreservation of humans for potential future resuscitation has raised concerns among many scientists regarding both its scientific viability and ethical implications. While biologists can currently grow a few hundred cultured cells in a lab dish, fully resuscitating an entire human being remains a distant scientific possibility.
"I appreciate that just being able to thaw out a few cells in a tiny dish and get them going again is remarkable. To do that for an entire human body, that has died for a reason, and to reverse that and bring it back to life is a very, very long way away," said Professor Bruce Thompson, head of the Melbourne School of Health Sciences.
Summary
Southern Cryonics has successfully cryopreserved its first client, an 80-year-old Australian man. While the company believes in the potential for future medical advancements to revive preserved individuals, many scientists question the scientific and ethical implications of this procedure. The cryopreservation of humans remains a controversial topic, sparking ongoing debate within the scientific community.