A team of scientists at the Boston Children’s Hospital have invented
what is being considered one the greatest medical breakthroughs in
recent years. They have designed a microparticle that can be injected
into a person’s bloodstream that can quickly oxygenate their blood. This
will even work if the ability to breathe has been restricted, or even
cut off entirely.
This finding has the potential to save millions of lives every year.
The microparticles can keep an object alive for up to 30 min after
respiratory failure. This is accomplished through an injection into the
patients’ veins. Once injected, the microparticles can oxygenate the
blood to near normal levels. This has countless potential uses as it
allows life to continue when oxygen is needed but unavailable. For
medical personnel, this is just enough time to avoid risking a heart
attack or permanent brain injury when oxygen is restricted or cut off to
patients.
Dr. John Kheir, who first began the study, works in the Boston
Children’s Hospital Department of Cardiology. He found inspiration for
the drug in 2006, when he was treating a girl in the ICU who had a sever
case of pneumonia. At the time, the girl didn’t have a breathing tube,
when at the time she suffered from a pulmonary hemorrhage. This means
her lungs had begin to fill up with blood, and she finally went into
cardiac arrest. It took doctors about 25 minutes to remove enough blood
from her lungs to allow her to breath. Though, the girl’s brain was
severely injured due to being deprived of oxygen for that long and she
eventually died.
Microparticle Composition
The microparticles used are composed of oxygen gas pocketed in a layer
of lipids. A Lipid is a natural molecule that can store energy and act
as a part of a cell membrane, they can be made of many things such as
wax, vitamins, phospholipids, and in this case fat is the lipid that
stores the oxygen.
These microparticles are around two to four micrometers in length and
carry about three to four times the oxygen content of our own red blood
cells. In the past, researchers had a difficult time succeeding as
prior tests caused gas embolism. This meant that the gas molecules would
become stuck trying to squeeze through the capillaries. They corrected
this issue by packaging them into small deformable particles rather ones
where the structure was rigid.
Potential Future Uses
Medical: There is the obvious medical uses where the
microparticles can be used to save off death from a restriction in
breathing due to inflammation of the lungs, collapsed lungs, and the
like. It would be good to have these injections ready in hospitals and
ambulances for when the time is needed.
Military: Can you imagine a navy seals capability when they
wouldn’t need to surface for air and could stay underwater for over 20
minutes? If a boat was to begin to sink, you could shoot yourself as the
boat is going down to ensure you aren’t drowned in the under current of
the sinking vessel. How about for toxic gases when a facemask is
unavailable. The military could have a number of uses for such a medical
advancement.
Private Sector: Really this can be used as a precaution for
anything nautical where the potential to drown is a real danger. Deep
sea rescue crews could inject themselves prior to making a rescue,
underwater welders can use it in case they become stuck or air is lost
to their suits. The potential use for anything water related seems
extremely worthwhile.
Conclusion
In the end, this is an amazing medical advancement and I cant help but
recall the movie the Abyss when they took the pill, their helmets filled
with air, and they were told they can breathe the water. Well what if
they really couldn’t “breathe” water” but since the urge to breathe is
natural, that must take place… even if you’re not breathing air per se.
But your body was provided with enough oxygen for a time period by
taking a pill. It’s just goes to show that anything, absolutely anything
that can be thought up, can potentially one day become reality. Thank
you scientists, for reminding me that people and their ingenuity are
nothing short of awesome.