Category Archives: Perfusion

THE EFFECTS OF CRYOPRESERVATION ON THE CAT, Part 1

by Michael Darwin, Jerry Leaf, Hugh L. Hixon I.    Introduction                                   II.   Materials and Methods III   Effects of Glycerolization IV.  Gross Effects of Cooling to and Rewarming From -196°C I. INTRODUCTION The  immediate  goal  of human cryopreservation  is  to  use  current … Continue reading

Posted in Cryobiology, Cryonics History, Cryonics Technology (General), Ischemia-Reperfusion Injury, Perfusion, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Science Fiction, Double Feature…

By Mike Darwin I used to love science fiction. The trouble is that it simply became too believable to be any fun anymore. Space travel? Sure, everybody knows that’s possible, and thanks to Industrial Light & Magic, we all know … Continue reading

Posted in Cryobiology, Cryonics Philosophy, Cryonics Technology (General), Culture & Propaganda, Perfusion, Philosophy | 1 Comment

You be the Judge: Understanding and Evaluating the Quality of Human Cryopreservations from Cryonics Organization Literature and Case Report Data, Part 4

Medical Records, Medical History and the Necessity for Highly Skilled Cryonics-Based Medical Evaluation and Judgment “The physician must be able to tell the antecedents, know the present, and foretell the future–must mediate these things, and have two special objects in … Continue reading

Posted in Cryonics History, Cryonics Technology (General), Medicine, Perfusion | 5 Comments

1968 AD > Cryonics > Reboot

Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.” -      Philippians 2:12-13 Left: Mike Darwin at the Cryonics Society of New York in1971 (Inset: in Russia July, 2008). Future Shock Now By the time you are 50, if not before, … Continue reading

Posted in Cryonics History, Culture & Propaganda, Perfusion, Philosophy | 4 Comments

Maxim, Pumps, and Flow Measurement

You know, the ironic thing is, when Maxim first arrived on the scene, I was really pleased, and I looked forward to being able to work with her in some capacity. I had dealt with a number of perfusionists before, and in fact employed two perfusionists when I operated BioPreservation, a cryonics service provider company in the 1990s. My communication with Maxim was necessarily constrained when she was first hired by Suspended Animation, Inc., because I’d learned from previous experience that it is essential to let people gain their own unbiased experience of an enterprise, and especially of a new employment situation, before any negative input is given. Not only is criticizing someone’s employer under such circumstances considered sleazy behavior, it also just doesn’t work. You are perceived as having an axe to grind, being jealous, and so on. Continue reading

Posted in Cryonics Technology (General), Medicine, Perfusion | 3 Comments

Response to Maxim’s Rant about Automation in Cardiopulmonary Bypass

I loathe the use of the ad hominem in arguments, and the proof of this is that I rarely use it (and much of what I’ve written is on-line, so this statement can be easily checked). I feel this way about it because I’ve so often had it used on me. My secondary school years, particularly the first two, were horrible. They took the concept of bullying to a whole new level. My response to this was to keep as low as profile as possible, and to go out of my way not to get beaten up – either verbally or physically. It didn’t work. While I can’t say I was grateful for the experience, I did learn a lot from it, not the least of which was the understanding that there isn’t just one type of “bully” or “harasser.” They come in a variety of phenotypes and they are often motivated by very different things. Continue reading

Posted in Cryonics Technology (General), Medicine, Perfusion | 21 Comments

The Lifebridge B2T® “Plug-and-Play” Extracorporeal Life Support System

By Mike Darwin Figure 1: The ultra-compact, lightweight and fully self contained Lifebridge B2T® Portable Extracorporeal Life Support System. Introduction The Medizintechnik GmbH Lifebridge B2T® extracorporeal life support system (Figure 1) is a device fast closing in on a technology … Continue reading

Posted in Cryonics Technology (General), Ischemia-Reperfusion Injury, Medicine, Perfusion | 3 Comments

A Brief Pictorial History of Extracorporeal Technology in Cryonics – Part 5

By Mike Darwin CPB at BPI When I left Alcor and started BioPreservation, Inc., (BPI) in 1992, the same high standard of care was continued. Where there was adequate notice, cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) was initiated in the home using mechanical … Continue reading

Posted in Perfusion | 5 Comments

A Brief Pictorial History of Extracorporeal Technology in Cryonics – Part 4

From the time Jerry and I took charge of patient care at Alcor, both standard and cutting edge extracorporeal medical technology was applied to cryonics patients with both a high degree of competence and success.[1] That does not mean that we had the latest equipment, or the most elegant surroundings, because we usually did not. Nor do perfusionists or intensivists in New Zealand, or in the UK today, and yet despite (or perhaps because of) a relative paucity of the very latest devices in their ICUs and ORs, their patient outcomes, in terms of both morbidity and mortality, are better, on average, than those in the US – and these outcomes are achieved at markedly lower costs. Continue reading

Posted in Perfusion | 3 Comments

A Brief Pictorial History of Extracorporeal Technology in Cryonics – Part 3

By Mike Darwin A Great Team In January of 1980 I stabilized and transported a patient from southern Wisconsin for TT to Cryovita Labs. Jerry kindly invited me to stay and participate in this patient’s cryoprotective perfusion (CPA) perfusion and … Continue reading

Posted in Cryonics Technology (General), Perfusion | 2 Comments