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Cryopreservation Case Summary:
The Cryopreservation of Patient A 1025
By Tanya Jones, Director of Technical Operations
Note: This case was completed several years ago, but it was
not reported in the magazine. We are including it now
to ensure reporting is done on all cases.
Background
Patient A 1025 first signed up for cryonics in March 1977,
when Alcor was still known as the Alcor Society for Solid
State Hypothermia. In a personal statement dated a few
months later, he affirmed that he had "been interested in
cryonics for several years. I know the techniques are
experimental at this time, but my faith is in the future." His
file contains archival documents from Alcor and the now
defunct Cryonics Society of California.
Born in 1914, this patient was 88 years old when he died in
2003. Details on the circumstances of pronouncement are
sketchy, but we believed he collapsed at his home in the
Los Angeles area and remained undiscovered for at least
two days, long enough for pressure wounds to form. The
patient was taken to the emergency room by ambulance,
where he was pronounced at 22:52 PST. He experienced
cardiac arrest during an attempt to re hydrate him.
Myocardial infarction brought on by coronary artery
disease contributed to his death on March 1, 2003. Heparin
was administered by an emergency room physician and
manual chest compressions were used to circulate it.
Several things complicated this case, including that much
of the transport staff were attending a training session in
Mayer, Arizona, and regional team members were
performing a standby for another Alcor member in the
southern California area.
Stabilization and Transport
A delay in transferring custody to Alcor occurred in the
emergency room, when the friend who had assisted
with admitting A 1025 to the hospital left and was still
needed to sign release forms. Once the release was
finally arranged more than two hours later, the patient
was transported to Critical Care Research (CCR) for
blood washout.
When he arrived at 04:40 on March 2, 2003, the patient had
been packed in crushed ice, and his nasopharyngeal
temperature was 22°C. The transport team reported that
the medications provided by CCR were administered, but
no notes exist on the time of administration. Large volume
medications, like tromethamine and mannitol, were
introduced by CCR personnel. CCR generously provided
these medications, because of the on going standby for
another Alcor member in that region.
During the washout, clotting was observed, and one
carotid swelled from the beginning. The
washout was completed by 07:00; and the
patient's temperature had been reduced
to 7.3°C.
By 07:30, the patient was packed and
ready for transport, but the paperwork
for departing the state had not been
obtained. Several hours of delay
resulted, and there were also problems
obtaining the death certificate, as the
emergency room physician who
pronounced was unwilling to sign.
CCR personnel tracked down the
patient's primary physician and
arranged for his signature.
Once the paperwork was secured, the
patient was allowed to be removed to
Arizona. Transit time to Alcor was five
hours, and the patient arrived at 17:35 MST.
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