Human "Suspended Animation" Trials To Start This Month

An anonymous reader writes in with news about a UPMC Presbyterian Hospital trial starting this month which brings us one step closer to suspended animation. "The researchers behind it don't want to call it suspended animation, but it's the most conventional way to explain it. The world's first humans trials will start at the UPMC Presbyterian Hospital in Pittsburgh, with 10 patients whose injuries would otherwise be fatal to operate on. A team of surgeons will remove the patient's blood, replacing it with a chilled saline solution that would cool the body, slowing down bodily functions and delaying death from blood loss. According to Dr. Samuel Tisherman, talking to New Scientist: 'We are suspending life, but we don't like to call it suspended animation because it sounds like science fiction... we call it emergency preservation and resuscitation.'" We covered this story a few months ago when it was announced.

Comments

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[l0ungeb0y]

We are suspending life, but we don't like to call it suspended animation because it sounds like science fiction... we call it emergency preservation and resuscitation.

Someone needs to remind these guys that something is only Science Fiction until it becomes Science Fact.
Nothing wrong with calling it Suspended Animation if that's EXACTLY what it is.

Re:Because obviously,

[gstoddart]

Anything that sounds like science fiction MUST be terrible and is to be avoided at all costs.

Well, if you're doing real research and want to be taken seriously, I can see why you'd prefer to differentiate yourself a little.

If you said "and we'll put the patient into suspended animation", and the ethics review board rolls their eyes at you, you might have a huge problem.

Some stuff, sure, it can sound like science fiction. But for medical research, you'd think you want to make sure people know you're not just talking out of your ass.