Sure, it sounds like something straight from Star Wars, but real doctors are attempting to save the lives of patients by putting them in ‘suspended animation’. That’s right, surgeons at UPMC Presbyterian Hospital in Pittsburgh will cool down the patients so their blood cells need less oxygen to survive. While in suspended animation, the team will work to fix the ‘structural problems’ caused by a blade or a bullet. Continue reading for a video and more information.
Here’s how it works, according to The Daily Mail: “The procedure – which has been likened to what happened to Han Solo in the Star Wars movie Empire Strikes Back – will see all of the patients’ blood being replaced with cold saline solution, meaning their bodies will quickly cool to 10C and almost all cellular activity will stop.”
