Some human organ harvesting and transplanting techniques
require a donor body that has not been dead for very long.
In fact, in some cases a dying potential donor is matched
up with the intended recipient well before death occurs
and the harvested organ(s) rushed to the needy patient
as quickly as possible, after the death has been certified.

But what should be done in cases where clinically dead
persons have a chance of revival?

The time limitations on such resuscitations are continually
being pushed back. When my father died and was revived,
years ago, the lapse was only 25 minutes or so. But with
the application of new medical techniques, that keep a
corpse warm and oxygenated, that old 20-30 minute "grace"
period has been doubled. In the near future, a person who
is clinically dead -- certified for vital organ removal --
might still be revived, with minimal brain damage after
two or three hours.

Keeping the corpse warm and oxygenated lengthens the period
for successful organ removal, but it also improves the
chances for revival. In an elderly or critically injured
person's case, organ removal might be the viable option.
But, in the case of a young and healthy patient like Colin
Fiedler, revival would obviously be the better choice.

Who is responsible for making the decision? Doctors? Lawyers?
The State? The Hospital Corporation? The patient?

???


From today's Melbourne Herald-Sun:

>A VICTORIAN man who was clinically dead
>for 40 minutes has been brought back to life
>by an Australian-first resuscitation technique.
>Colin Fiedler, 39, was one of three cardiac
>arrest patients brought back to life after
>being dead for between 40 and 60 minutes at
>The Alfred hospital, using... a mechanical CPR
>machine, which performs constant chest
>compressions, and a portable heart-lung machine...
>to keep oxygen and blood flowing to the patient's
>brain and vital organs.


Read more: http://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/health-fitness/victorian-man-colin-fiedler-brought-back-from-the-dead-by-australian-first-resuscitation-technique/story-fneuzlbd-1226640656309#ixzz2THnTOBax

could still type after all that!

some people feel that life may be the joy of the sunshine, berries on french toast, hands in the water, dangling ones feet in the stream

stream of water, of love, even energy to cast out & fish or swim

Does a little brain damage promote some of that? it wouldn't necessarily hold someone back at all- AFter all the time for calculus is through, who said it had to last all life long for it be a good life, a grand life, after all.

I'm really curious to know if Mr. Fiedler had a NDE. 40 minutes is a long time to be dead and not bring any new information back about the afterlife, if there is one.

If you have blood pumping to your brain, articicial or otherwise ( like cardiopulmonary bypass) you are not dead

ladell Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> If you have blood pumping to your brain,
> articicial or otherwise ( like cardiopulmonary
> bypass) you are not dead


Precisely my point.

Take a corpse that has massive bodily damage, but
is being kept warm for planned organ harvesting.
Even though that corpse can never again function
as a living being he/she is not dead. The head
may be severed and missing -- but the body kept
warm and oxygenated. Who has the authority to
make decisions for the further use of that corpse?

UD

I very much doubt any organ harvesting would be considered anywhere while there is evidence of brain activity. There have been suggestions for some time that the cessation of brain activity should be considered the time of death and not necessarily the cessation of heart function.

The body can be kept "alive" for a period after brain death, in fact sometimes years, e.g., Terry Schiavo, but it's just a body--the person is gone.

The machine discussed in the article does appear to be an exciting development, but notice that it and the ancillary heart/lung machine keep the organs, including the brain, oxygenated. It is this substitution of heart/lung function which enabled the successful resuscitation after an extended period. Without it, there is no way, at normal temperatures, to avoid brain death.

There are a few cases of successful resuscitation of drowning victims in very cold water after extended periods. Drastic cooling of the body apparently slowed the body's shutdown processes. But I do not know of any attempts to cool the body of a heart attack victim.

Interesting-story-though-ly yrs,

S

Those machines and variations have been around for a while