Case Summaries: A-1408 and A-2357
This past quarter, Alcor cryopreserved two of its members. The first member, A-1408, lived just north of the Tampa, FL area. Alcor team members initiated a standby at the hospital for three days during the time the individual was listed as critical and medical providers anticipated that he might stop breathing. The member stabilized and Alcor ended the standby while continuing to monitor the patient’s condition remotely. When his medical condition deteriorated again, Alcor was on the verge of initiating a standby for another member and therefore decided to request Suspended Animation to provide the standby this time.
On the afternoon of the fourth day of the standby (May 26, 2011), the member was pronounced, stabilized and cooled on-site, followed by a field washout. The transport commenced the next morning by commercial airlines and the patient was brought to Alcor with the surgical team at the ready. After the neuro cryopreservation ensued, member A-1408 became Alcor’s 105th patient.
Alcor’s Arizona response team provided standby services twice at the home of A-2357 on the west side of the Phoenix valley, approximately 50 miles from Alcor in Scottsdale. The first standby lasted six days before the member’s condition improved enough for the team to stand down. While continuing to monitor the individual’s health through a very supportive hospice organization, the attending physician determined that it was time to restart the standby just a mere two weeks later. On the second day of the standby, despite relatively strong vital signs, the member’s breathing became weaker until he finally just ceased to take a breath. The patient was pronounced on June 17, 2011.
At the prior request of the hospice physician, both she and a hospice nurse assisted Aaron Drake and Steve Graber in administering the medications, cooling and preparing the patient for transport. They both followed the rescue vehicle back to Alcor so they could observe the procedure and see the facilities. Being impressed with the overall process, the physician expressed the desire to provide services for future Alcor members. This new relationship, along with the existing hospice that we have used in the past, will provide us with a stronger network of hospice options in the greater Phoenix area. A-2357 is now Alcor’s 106th patient, being cared for as a neurocryopreservation patient.