Scientists Invent Particles That Will Let You Live Without Breathing

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June 30, 2012

• The solution has already been successfully tested on animals

• The particles are composed of oxygen gas

• These fatty oxygen particles are about two to four micrometers in size

• They dramatically increase the surface area for gas exchange

• John Kheir had the idea of an injected oxygen solution started

This may appear like something out of a science fiction movie: researchers have created microparticles that can be injected directly into the bloodstream to rapidly oxygenate your body, even if you can’t breathe any longer. It is one of the best medical breakthroughs in recent years, and one that could save millions of lives each and every year.

The invention, developed by a team at Boston Children’s Hospital, will let medical teams to keep patients alive and well for 15 to 30 minutes despite major respiratory failure. This is enough time for doctors and emergency personnel to act with out risking a heart attack or permanent brain injuries in the patient.

The remedy has currently been effectively tested on animals beneath important lung failure. When the medical doctors injected this liquid into the patient’s veins, it restored oxygen in their blood to close to-normal levels, granting them these valuable added minutes of life.

Particles of fat and oxygen

The particles are composed of oxygen gas pocketed in a layer of lipids, a all-natural molecule that usually shops energy or serves as a component to cell membranes. Lipids can be waxes, some vitamins, monoglycerides, diglycerides, triglycerides, phospholipids, or—as in this case—fats.

These fatty oxygen particles are about two to four micrometers in size. They are suspended in a liquid remedy that can be easily carried and utilized by paramedics, emergency crews and intensive care personnel. This seemingly magic elixir carries “three to four times the oxygen content of our own red blood cells.

Sources and more information:

• Breathe Without Breathing: Scientists Can Keep You Alive By Injecting Oxygen Into Blood

• When Breathing Is Impaired, Injecting Oxygen Microparticles Into A Vein Could Save Lives

• Injecting life-saving oxygen into a vein