- Rabbits with blocked windpipes have been kept alive for 15 minutes without a single breath after researchers injected oxygen-filled microparticles into the rabbit's blood
- The technique has the potential to prevent cardiac arrest and brain injury caused by oxygen deprivation
- In the past, doctors have tried injecting free oxygen gas directly into the bloodstream of humans. Their results varied in terms of success
- The microcapsules experimented with consist of single-layer spherical shells of molecules called lipids, which each surround a small bubble of oxygen gas. The gaseous oxygen is then suspended in a liquid emulsion.
- The particles are injected directly into the bloodstream where they circulate with other red blood cells. The oxygen then diffuses into the cells within seconds of contact
- The microcapsules are easy and inexpensive to make. They efficiently self assemble when the lipid components are exposed to sound waves in an oxygen environment, which is a process known as sonication
- The entire process does not replace the function of the lungs, it only replaces their function for a limited period of time
- I believe that this innovation could benefit the world dramatically. It would save millions of lives without sacrificing a large amount of time or a substantial amount of money.
(The gas filled microparticles transfer oxygen directly to red blood cells)
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