Scientists Invent Oxygen
Particle That If Injected, Allows You To Live Without Breathing
posted
August 23, 2012/ 8
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New Medical Discovery A team of
scientists at the Boston Children’s Hospital have invented what is being
considered one the greatest medical breakthroughs in ...
New Medical
Discovery
A team of scientists at the Boston Children’s Hospital
have invented what is being considered one the greatest medical breakthroughs
in
recent years. They have designed a microparticle that can be injected into a
person’s bloodstream that can quickly oxygenate their blood. This will even
work
if the ability to breathe has been restricted, or even cut off
entirely.
This finding has the potential to save millions
of lives every year. The microparticles can keep an object alive for up to 30
min after respiratory failure. This is accomplished through an injection into
the patients’ veins. Once injected, the microparticles can oxygenate the blood
to near normal levels. This has countless potential uses as it allows life to
continue when oxygen is needed but unavailable. For medical personnel, this is
just enough time to avoid risking a heart attack or permanent brain injury when
oxygen is restricted or cut off to patients.
Dr. John Kheir, who first began the study, works
in the Boston Children’s Hospital Department of Cardiology. He found
inspiration
for the drug in 2006, when he was treating a girl in the ICU who had a sever
case of pneumonia. At the time, the girl didn’t have a breathing tube, when at
the time she suffered from a pulmonary hemorrhage. This means her lungs had
begin to fill up with blood, and she finally went into cardiac arrest. It took
doctors about 25 minutes to remove enough blood from her lungs to allow her to
breath. Though, the girl’s brain was severely injured due to being deprived of
oxygen for that long and she eventually died.
Microparticle
Composition
The microparticles used are composed of oxygen gas
pocketed in a layer of lipids. A Lipid is a natural molecule that can store
energy and act as a part of a cell membrane, they can be made of many things
such as wax, vitamins, phospholipids, and in this case fat is the lipid that
stores the oxygen.
These microparticles are around two to four
micrometers in length and carry about three to four times the oxygen content of
our own red blood cells. In the past, researchers had a difficult time
succeeding as prior tests caused gas embolism. This meant that the gas
molecules
would become stuck trying to squeeze through the capillaries. They corrected
this issue by packaging them into small deformable particles rather ones where
the structure was rigid.
Potential Future
Uses
Medical: There is the obvious medical uses where the
microparticles can be used to save off death from a restriction in breathing
due
to inflammation of the lungs, collapsed lungs, and the like. It would be good
to
have these injections ready in hospitals and ambulances for when the time is
needed.
Military: Can you imagine a navy seals
capability when they wouldn’t need to surface for air and could stay underwater
for over 20 minutes? If a boat was to begin to sink, you could shoot yourself
as
the boat is going down to ensure you aren’t drowned in the under current of the
sinking vessel. How about for toxic gases when a facemask is unavailable. The
military could have a number of uses for such a medical advancement.
Private Sector: Really this can be used
as a precaution for anything nautical where the potential to drown is a real
danger. Deep sea rescue crews could inject themselves prior to making a rescue,
underwater welders can use it in case they become stuck or air is lost to their
suits. The potential use for anything water related seems extremely
worthwhile.
Conclusion
In the end, this
is an amazing medical advancement and I cant help but recall the movie the
Abyss
when they took the pill, their helmets filled with air, and they were told they
can breathe the water. Well what if they really couldn’t “breathe” water” but
since the urge to breathe is natural, that must take place… even if you’re not
breathing air per se. But your body was provided with enough oxygen for a time
period by taking a pill. It’s just goes to show that anything, absolutely
anything that can be thought up, can potentially one day become reality. Thank
you scientists, for reminding me that people and their ingenuity are nothing
short of awesome.
The author of this article is Damien S.
Wilhelmi, an SEO tactician and SEM strategist. If you enjoyed this article, you
can follow me on twitter @JakabokBotch. I am writing on behalf of Wilderness
Aware Rafting who offer some of the best Colorado White Water Raftingtrips in
the state.
http://www.techwench.com/scientists-invent-oxygen-particle-that-if-injected-allows-you-to-live-without-breathing/
