What Is Cryonics? What Is the Process for Cryopreservation?

According to Alcor Life Extension Institute, the process of cryopreserving a human body is quite complex. It is best understood as a series of three distinct steps. 

• Step one is preservation of organ function, particularly that of the brain. Alcor accomplishes this by placing the newly deceased body in ice water and employing a heart-lung resuscitator (HLR) — a device known as a “thumper” — which hospitals use to perform CPR. The HLR keeps oxygenated blood circulating throughout the body until the person can be cryopreserved. During this period, Alcor personnel also administer intravenous medications to maintain blood pressure and minimize oxidative stress. These may include an anesthetic as well as anticoagulants, vasopressors, pH buffers and chemicals to minimize the formation of free radicals. 

• Step two is the administration of a cryopreservative solution. This solution contains chemicals that prevent tissues from freezing when they are cooled. Instead, they undergo vitrification, which preserves the structure of the cells by preventing the formation of ice. Doctors administer the solution through several major blood vessels to ensure that it is distributed evenly. 

It’s important to note, however, that these two steps are only possible if the person is located in a hospice or hospital close to Alcor at the time of death. If death occurs outside the Scottsdale area, a “standby team” is dispatched to the person’s location before death. Alcor contracts with two contractors, Suspended Animation, Inc., and International Cryomedicine Experts, Inc., whose teams begin the process of stabilization in the field. In that case, instead of putting the body in ice water, a member of the team attaches the patient to an HLR, which rapidly cools the blood and then replaces it with an organ preservation solution at a temperature a few degrees above freezing. If there will be a long delay before the body arrives at an Alcor facility, the team may employ a process known as field cryoprotection, which involves infusing a cryoprotectant solution to prevent tissues from freezing and transporting the body to the Alcor facility on dry ice. 

• Step three occurs at the Alcor facility, where the body is cooled in liquid nitrogen to a final temperature of minus 196 degrees Centigrade over a period of two weeks. The body is housed in a stainless steel container and maintained at this temperature indefinitely. 

Note: Cryonics Institute does not contract with a standby service on members’ behalf. However, they encourage members to contact Suspended Animation, Inc. and make arrangements with them on their own. Otherwise, the deceased must be transported to the CI facility and first prepared for transport by a funeral home. The cost of the funeral home and transportation to Michigan (usually by air) is the responsibility of the member or their next of kin. 

Sources 

“Introduction to Alcor Procedures”. Alcor Life Extension Foundation. http://www.alcor.org/procedures.html 

“Vitrification.” Alcor Life Extension Foundation. http://www.alcor.org/Library/html/vitrification.html 

“Who We Are”. Suspended Animation, Inc. https://suspendedanimationlabs.com/who-we-are/ 

International Cryomedicine Experts. https://www.cryomedics.org/