Hydrogen sulphide gas can induce “suspended animation” in mice and may one day help preserve organ function during intensive surgery, say researchers.

The sewer gas, with its distinctive rotten-egg smell, put the mice into a hibernation-like state – reducing their heart rate, breathing and body temperature – while keeping their blood pressure normal, the researchers found.

In extreme circumstances, such as during complex cardiac surgery on humans, putting the body “on-hold” may reduce organ damage to patients (see Suspended animation: putting life on hold). Currently doctors use sedatives or extreme cold to induce hypothermia in patients, which slows-down breathing and heart-rate, but these also lower blood pressure – an occasionally catastrophic side effect.

In a study, published in 2005, researchers discovered that a cocktail of gases including hydrogen sulphide halved the oxygen demands of mice and slowed their metabolic rate (see Can human life be put on hold?)....

read the whole thing over at New Scientist..

Posted at 01:00AM Mar 24, 2008 by ko maruyama in Astound  |  Comments[0]