Studies have not explored consciousness during deep hypothermic circulatory arrest (DHCA). However, as studies in cardiac arrest have identified a spectrum of consciousness, we sought to establish the feasibility of studying consciousness during DHCA. This was a prospective study across 10 hospitals with 36 DHCA patients undergoing thoracic aortic aneurysm repair or pulmonary endarterectomy. A...
An inadvertent consequence of advances in stem cell research, neuroscience, and resuscitation science has been to enable scientific insights regarding what happens to the human brain in relation to death. The scientific exploration of death is in large part possible due to the recognition that brain cells are more resilient to the effects of anoxia than assumed. Hence, brain cells become...