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Alcor News Bulletin
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Number 43: September 21, 2005
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Authors This Issue:
Jennifer Chapman [JC], Diane Cremeens [DC], Tanya Jones
[TJ], Steve Van Sickle [SVS].
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In this issue:
* Annual Meeting and Elections
* Financial Matters
* Cryopreservation of A-2071
* Transport Vehicle Deployment
* M22 Implementation
* Ramping up Research
* Regional Activities
* Hurricane Katrina
* Announcing Alcor United
* Membership Statistics
* Employment Opportunities
* Next Board Meeting
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Annual Meeting and Elections
On September 10, 2005, the Alcor Board of Directors held
its annual meeting, which included elections of Directors
and Officers of the corporation. Elected to the Board of
Directors were: Saul Kent; Jerry Lemler, MD; Ralph Merkle,
PhD; Carlos Mondragon; Michael Riskin, CPA, PhD; Michael
Seidl, PhD, JD; Stephen Van Sickle; and Brian Wowk, PhD.
Officers are: Michael Riskin, Chairman of the Board and
Vice President; Stephen Van Sickle, Executive Director and
Acting President; and Joseph Hovey, Secretary/Treasurer.
[SVS]
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Financial Matters
As of the end of August, 2005, Alcor had about $115,000 in
external debt, $96,000 in a business line of credit and the
remainder on credit cards. There were accounts payable of
about $79,000, $29,000 of which were more than 30 days past
due. The then-current accounts payable of approximately
$50,000 consisted mostly of construction charges, liquid
nitrogen, perfusate chemicals, and rent.
The Patient Care Trust was owed $120,000 for patient funds
collected and not passed on, though this was more than
offset by both billed and unbilled patient care expense.
Approximately $40,000 of additional building expenses will
come due in the near future. (This is only the portion due
from the general fund, since part of the construction is a
new patient care bay. The Patient Care Trust is responsible
for that portion.)
Comprehensive Member Standby (CMS) fees were being
deposited in general funds on receipt, and for the previous
five months were not being transferred to the CMS fund. The
CMS fund is owed about $37,000 that was collected on its
behalf; but CMS has not been billed for two cases.
These oversights are considered to be violations of Alcor
policy, and the accounting system is being corrected to
ensure such breaches do not happen again in the future. The
Board has voted to transfer $250k from the Endowment Fund
to cover all past due bills. (This transfer is independent
of the $150k that was transferred from the endowment to
cover the funds stolen from a member's pre-paid suspension
account.) This second transfer of funds is sufficient to
bring our accounts up to date, leaving the Endowment Fund
with a balance of $530,000. These transfers are due to
unusual cash needs this year, not any insolvency in the
organization. [SVS]
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Cryopreservation of A-2071
During the month of August, we deployed a standby team to
member A-2071 in San Antonio, Texas, when the patient
looked particularly fragile. He rallied shortly after we
arrived, however, and the standby lasted seven days prior
to pronouncement.
This case marked the simultaneous deployment of two major
advances in Alcor's capability: the new transport vehicle
and whole-body vitrification. Results of both of these are
discussed in more detail below; but the successful
conclusion of this case represents the world's first
application of whole-body vitrification, where the brain
was vitrified without neuroseparation.
During the stabilization of this patient, surface cooling,
airway and manual cardiopulmonary support, and many of the
smaller-volume medications were administered while the
patient was still in his second-floor apartment; treatment
began within five minutes of cardiac arrest and within one
minute of pronouncement. Once those preliminary steps had
been completed, the patient was transferred to the mobile
rescue cart (MRC) and moved to the vehicle. Once moved,
treatment included the application of the LUCAS thumper for
cardiopulmonary support and the administration of the
remaining medications. A local funeral director arrived
just as we were preparing to begin the femoral cut-down
ourselves, and we proceeded with the washout portion.
Stabilization was complete within 2.25 hours, post-
pronouncement.
We then drove to the funeral home to begin processing the
paperwork. As we were attempting to secure the death
certificate, we found the pronouncing hospice physician was
unwilling to sign; and we had to track down the patient's
personal physician for his signature. We also had
difficulty securing a flight that didn't require an
overnight stay in Atlanta or Houston. We did manage to find
one, but failed to obtain seats for escort personnel. The
patient was ultimately shipped unattended.
Once at the lab, the open heart surgery for this whole-body
patient was begun, followed by the introduction of the
newest cryoprotection protocol. At around 30-40 percent of
our target concentration, the system filled with foam,
which was subsequently pumped into the patient. Perfusion
was stopped, and the foam was methodically removed from the
cannula and the aorta, to the best of our ability to do so.
This incident highlighted many problems, not the least of
which was that the perfusionist had stepped away from his
station without providing for a replacement. Other problems
contributing to the foam were the ice blockers themselves
(X-1000 makes a rather stable foam); the cardiotomy suction
system was introducing bubbles into the mixing reservoir;
and the mixing reservoir was being run low. It took us a
full hour to de-foam as much as we did.
Cryoprotection was terminated after refractive readings in
both arterial and venous samples remained above the target
for a half hour. The patient experienced severe edema, and
we have several theories about what contributed; changes
will be made to the whole-body protocol as a result.
This case will be written up for the Nov/Dec issue of
Cryonics magazine. With the addition of this patient,
Alcor's patient population rises to 69. [TJ]
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Transport Vehicle Deployment
We drove the vehicle 1,000 miles to reach member A-2071.
The vehicle performed well on the road, and we experienced
no problems during this drive.
When we arrived in Texas, we attempted to start the
generator, and it was sluggish to respond. It also operated
roughly once it did start. Possible sources of this problem
were obstruction in the fuel line or wiring problems. Bill
Voice actually located the source of the problem late one
night, prior to the patient's pronouncement. We had a loose
wire in the casing, and it was sparking against the metal
frame. Once we protected the wire, the rough operation
disappeared.
One other problem surfaced on the vehicle's return trip.
One good bump caused several of the unlocked cabinets to
open and dump their contents on the head of a resting team
member. The cabinets are now all with latches, not just a
few.
Procedurally, the vehicle performed as intended. We were
only missing some paper documentation, the MRC surgical
kit, and respirator connectors for the LUCAS. With the
exception of the connectors, the missing equipment was
pulled from a remote kit that we'd brought along for just
this reason. The new ice bath liner worked extremely well,
the old squid did not.
Preparation for the stabilization required only 30 minutes,
most of which was spent drawing up the medications for use.
The power system supported all the equipment, once the
short was repaired. The ice machine produced enough ice for
the stabilization; but because melting occurred prior to
isolation of the generator problem, we had to buy extra for
the patient shipment. (This should not be a problem in
future cases.) We took samples, and were able to spin them
immediately (according to the processing lab's
instructions) using the on-board centrifuge. Our new
respirator monitoring equipment also worked well. Also
performing better than we'd hoped was the new ice bath
liner designed by Bill Voice, which steadily maintained the
patient's temperature throughout the entire stabilization
and transport. Overall, the new vehicle was a joy. [TJ]
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M22 Implementation
Hugh Hixon was responsible for mixing the perfusate for the
recent cryopreservation. He did this while most of the
technical staff was in San Antonio, and he had a few
problems. The ice blocker, X-1000, needs to be heated to
near-boiling to remove condensates that interfered with the
first batch of perfusate, and these condensate particles
were of sufficient size that the concentrate could not be
filtered. He found that microwaving the X-1000 was labor-
intensive and somewhat finicky, and so has decided to use
an air oven we had in storage. This seems to work better,
now that we've prepared more M22 for use in the next case.
We need to experiment a bit with the cryoprotectant, to
develop a more concentrated form. The filtration problems
for the last case resulted in mixing a slightly lower
concentration than we prefer, and used more components than
we'd hoped. We only just had enough stock on hand to
complete the last case. Toward this end, we ordered a
falling-ball viscometer recommended by our advisors to
investigate viscosity changes at higher concentrations.
M22 is also volatile and somewhat noxious. We're making
provisions for adding a floor fume hood to the lab, one of
sufficient size for the disperser and reservoirs, to aid
with ventilation.
On the engineering side, the new operating table worked,
but had a couple of problems. The sides are higher than the
surgeons were used to, which made the surgery more tiring.
The cover sections of the patient box bowed with the
cooling from nitrogen vapor used to maintain the patient's
external environment, and kept falling half off. We'll be
adding lips to the sides of the covers to eliminate this
problem. The mechanical box needs a door switch for the
temperature controller, and the controller itself needs
some adjustment.
The clear Plexiglas sides of the box made viewing the
patient easier during cryoprotection, but the whole box
fogged significantly when vapor was added. The box is also
slightly more difficult to clean. [TJ]
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Ramping Up Research
Dr. Sergey Sheleg has begun two research projects. The
first is an investigation into histological changes caused
by various lengths of time of warm cerebral ischemia in
normothermic brains, and the second is a project that we
hope will lead to observation of microcirculation in
cryoprotecting brains. We've ordered new lab equipment to
accomplish these projects and are in the process of setting
up his lab.
Restoring our internal research capability is a high
priority, and we're re-establishing the Institutional
Animal Care and Use Committee to oversee the protocols in
our research. Though this committee is not required if we
limit ourselves to rats, using any larger animal model will
require restoring our USDA license and the committee. We're
taking this step now to eliminate the need to do it later.
Dr. Timothy A. Martin, DVM, MBA (Director, Animal Care
Program, Sun Health Research Institute) accepted our
invitation to participate on this committee. With Dr.
Martin we're gaining an experienced researcher willing to
review and advise us on our experimental protocols.
[TJ/SVS]
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Regional Activities
Training was held late last month in northern California,
and we drove the transport vehicle to familiarize the team.
Team members worked on ATP set-up and use on Saturday,
August 27th, and Sunday was spent doing a walk-through of a
stabilization procedure. Though the walk-through was not
completed in the four hours we'd allotted, it was still a
useful exercise for participants. The next training will be
held at the end of this month in southern California.
The northern California Cryofeast was held that same August
weekend, and it was well-attended. More than fifty people
came to the party, to hear a presentation and to ask
questions about the policies and procedures of Alcor. Most
people were interested in recent technical developments and
our research plans, and tours were given of the new
transport vehicle. Two additional Cryofeasts will be held
this month, the first in Florida on September 17 and the
second in southern California on September 25. Contact
Jennifer Chapman () for more information.
We are also sad to announce the resignation of our Florida
paramedics last month. Todd Soard and his group have
submitted their resignation from our emergency response
team. Though this leaves a gap in our capability, we intend
to continue providing training in the area to Alcor members
interested in assisting with transport procedures, to
maintain a stabilization kit in the area at another
location, and to continue our outreach efforts to medical
professionals in all regions. [TJ]
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Hurricane Katrina
We were a little worried about two members who live in the
Gulf area, but we have been able to contact them both and
establish that they are alive and well. It took several
days to reach them, and we're taking this opportunity to
encourage members to call Alcor if they are ever in an
affected area like this. [TJ]
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Announcing Alcor United
Alcor members now have a forum where they can meet and chat
with other members. Please visit www.alcorunited.org, an
Internet forum created by and for Alcor members. Created
and moderated by James Conaway, a nine-year member of
Alcor. "I have two main goals for the forum. (1) Create an
easy-to-reach meeting place for Alcor members to share
experiences, thoughts and ideas. (2) Introduce the world
and potential new members to Alcor's community and
culture."
"The forum is a community building project. The categories
of discussion range from philosophy and technology to
general questions about cryonics and Alcor. Users are
required to register to post in the majority of the forums,
but I have added an anonymous forum for those who wish to
remain anonymous."
"I felt a need recently to talk with other Alcor members
and could not find an easy way to do so. I know from
attending Alcor events that we have a large group of good
people. We need more opportunities to connect with each
other so that we can strengthen our community." [Submitted
by James Conaway/JC]
www.alcorunited.org
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Membership Statistics
On August 31, 2005, Alcor had 773 members on its Emergency
Responsibility List and 69 patients in its care. Ten
memberships were approved during this month, one membership
was cancelled, two were reinstated, and one member was
cryopreserved. Overall, there was a net gain of ten members
this month. We have an average net gain of 7.5 members per
month, which compares favorably to the average net gain of
4.3 members per month last year.
At the end of this month, Alcor had 59 applicants for
membership. There was a net loss of fifteen applicants with
twelve membership approvals, three incoming applicants, and
five people withdrawing from the application process.
During the month of August, 121 information packs were
distributed. Of those, 101 were mailed, and 20 were handed
to facility tour participants. Our average for 2005 has
grown to 107 per month, compared to 50 in 2004. We also had
768 subscribers to the Alcor News, as of the August issue
release date. [DC]
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Employment Opportunities
Have you ever thought about joining the Alcor team? We have
immediate needs for licensed Paramedics, Emergency Medical
Technicians, Registered Nurses, Lab Technicians and more to
join our nationwide Transport Team. Participation would be
on a contractual basis.
You'll be given cryonics training that will enable you to
participate in our patient rescue and transport cases.
Licensed professionals do not have to be Alcor members to
work with us. We welcome your expertise and interest. If
you're interested, send your resume to:
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Next Board Meeting
The next Board meeting is scheduled for Saturday, October
1, 2005, at 11:00 AM (MST).
Board meetings are typically held on the first Saturday of
the month at the Alcor facility (7895 East Acoma Drive in
Scottsdale, AZ). Members and the public are encouraged to
attend.
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End of Alcor News bulletin #43 dated September 21, 2005.
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