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Treating the Dead

Posted by kdawson on from the pining-for-the-fjords dept.

FlyByPC writes "According to a NewsWeek article, oxygen deprivation doesn't kill patients as much as the resumption of oxygen does. This discovery could bring about new ways of resuscitating people whose hearts have stopped."

10 of 246 comments (clear)

  1. In other news... by Dragon+By+Proxy · · Score: 5, Funny

    Parrots have recently been discovered to follow this exact same pattern during periods of deprivation from their beloved fjords.

  2. Makes a little bit of sense. . . by MagusSlurpy · · Score: 5, Interesting

    I remember reading somewhere in the last few months (possibly here on /.) that the new preferred version of CPR was 10 compressions to one breath, as opposed to the traditional 3. More compressions = less oxygen. . .

    --
    My sister opened a computer store in Hawaii. She sells C shells by the seashore.
    1. Re:Makes a little bit of sense. . . by necro81 · · Score: 5, Informative

      I'm not sure if the guidelines vary by country, but the U.S. guideline was 15 compressions for every 2 breaths (5 + 1 if two people are working). The guidelines were changed to 30 + 2 at the end of 2005. The reason for the change, as others have mentioned, is that the circulation of blood is most important. Rescue breathing takes time, is harder to do correctly than chest compressions, and takes time (consider it an operational overhead). Also, the compression of the chest causes some air movement on its own, though it is shallow.

    2. Re:Makes a little bit of sense. . . by sharky611aol.com · · Score: 5, Informative
      Wow, way too much pseduoinformation here. I'm ACLS certified, so take this to the bank:

      First off, a public service announcement. The current guidelines (which are actually backed up by some pretty good science) are a ratio of 30:2 compressions to breaths. Another important thing to note is that the rate of compressions is 100/min. This is faster than you think and believe it or not is incredibly difficult to do. For the tempo, think "Another One Bites the Dust" (and pardon my irony).

      Ok, now on to the reasoning behind the change. ("Well, I could explain it better, but I'd need charts, and graphs, and an easel.") Essentially, the flow of blood through the arteries and into the myocardium requires the creation and maintenance of a pressure head. Research has shown that it takes about 5-7 compressions to create that pressure head, and every time you stop pumping, you lose that pressure. Now only when this pressure head exists is oxygen being delivered to the myocardium, thus any time you stop pumping, you're creating a period of time in which oxygen is not being delivered. And apparently 30:2 was the best ratio for oxygenating blood in the lungs and delivering blood to the heart.

      Here's the official guidelines and all the studies behind them in all their linky goodness. http://circ.ahajournals.org/content/vol112/24_supp l/

  3. Re:FP!!!! by Short+Circuit · · Score: 5, Funny

    Now give me some oxygen! For a post like that? Don't hold your breath...
    --
    tasks(723) drafts(105) languages(484) examples(29106)
  4. Re:What about the brain though. by tomhudson · · Score: 5, Funny

    "It does not do any good to have a working body if I am still brain dead at the end of the process."

    Why not? George Bush choked to death on a pretzel a few years ago, and nobody's noticed the difference ...

  5. This makes sense in a lot of ways. by Cadallin · · Score: 5, Interesting
    Trying to chill the body of someone in Cardiac arrest, for example, makes perfect sense. People survive hypothermia, even with after they stop breathing and their heart stops beating, remarkably well. I've read about Russians having used this technique during open heart surgery. They lacked machinery like cardiac pumps, so they cooled the patients down and stopped the heart and breathing, while doing the surgery on a bed of ice. It apparently worked far, far better than our technophile medicine in the USA would lead us to believe.

    It even makes sense to me why sudden resumption of oxygen should be lethal. Oxygen is extremely toxic and aerobic organism, such as ourselves, had to evolve complex cellular machinery in order to utilize it for metabolic efficiency, while keeping the oxygen from damaging cellular structures, especially DNA. The sudden surge in oxygenated blood would probably overload this system. Apoptosis in this case may be a protective step by killing the cell before its DNA becomes damaged and possibly cancerous. Thus, flooding the heart with oxygen causes the whole heart to "take one for the team," and shut down completely.

    The discovery that the cells are still alive, and can be revived with special treatment is extremely encouraging for the development of better techniques.

  6. Re:This was discovered in the US? by Nutria · · Score: 5, Insightful
    Huang, Ahmad, Silvfast, Skifvars, Vanden Hoek, Khan - all good American names :)

    Yes, actually, they are good American names.

    --
    "I don't know, therefore Aliens" Wafflebox1
  7. Re:I'm continually amazed at by Kenshin · · Score: 5, Funny

    I remember a radio show where they were saying you could freeze them over and over again, without any adverse effects.

    I'm certain they would be fairly pissed-off.

    --

    Does it make you happy you're so strange?

  8. Re:I'm continually amazed at by WindBourne · · Score: 5, Funny

    Do it slowly enough and they never notice. It was when I tried to microwave one that it got really pissed and blew up on me.

    --
    I prefer the "u" in honour as it seems to be missing these days.