The New Scientist is reporting doctors from the University of Maryland Medical Center for the first time have placed humans in suspended animation as part of a trial to fix injuries in patients that would otherwise die. Samuel Tisherman, of UMMC's medical team, reported they have placed patients in suspended animation to help keep them alive but would not divulge how many people have survived while undergoing the procedure, which is called emergency preservation and resuscitation (EPR). The procedure includes a rapid cooling of the patient by placing all of their blood with ice-cold saline reducing the body temperature to between 10 to 15 degrees Celsius. The team then has two hours to work on the patient's injuries before warming the body to normal temperatures and restarting the heart. The results of the trial are expected to be published by the end of 2020.
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