Erasing Death

Dr. Sam Parnia’s book 'Erasing Death' is about recent advances in resuscitation science. When somebody suffers cardiac arrest and the heart stops; brain devoid of oxygen, also closes its shop within seconds. In that case, there is no heart beat, no respiration, no pulse or blood pressure and no neural activity. That person is dead in traditional sense. But as we have all seen in the movies and on the TV, if CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) or artificial respiration and chest compression are applied within minutes, then that person can be brought back to life.

It all started in 18th century Amsterdam, Holland when it was discovered that blowing air into lungs can save people drowning in city canals. But the science of resuscitation truly progressed in the 20th century. In 1960’s and 70’s, electrical shocks to restart the heart (through defibrillator) and administration of certain drugs to boost the blood pressure were added to the repertoire. Hypothermia treatment was included later when it was realized that people who die in cold climate can be revived many hours afterwards. Lower body temperature seemed to preserve cells. ECMO (Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation) which is a type of heart-lung bypass device is being successfully used in Japan and South Korea with above 70% revival rates. Post resuscitation treatment and care also proved to be of vital importance in preventing irreversible brain and organ damage.

Now, medical science recognizes that death is not an event but a process. There is a grey zone after death that permits the reversal of this process. This grey area is extending further and further whenever there is advancement in resuscitation techniques. It is also crucial to understand that the original cause of death must be fixed quickly during or after resuscitation otherwise that person will die a second time after a few hours or days of revival. For example, if a person is dying of cancer then his or her recovery doesn't matter as underlying cause of death can not be fixed at present.

Dr. Sam Parnia’s book also deals with the question of near death experiences or NDE’s. Around 10% of people who are revived through resuscitation, report seeing some kind of tunnel or light, reviewing of past life, meeting dead relatives and out of body experiences. These experiences have been dismissed by the majority of scientists as hallucinations. However, Dr. Parnia believes that these may be pointing towards some undiscovered country that lies beyond the present limits of science. He was also part of the AWARE Study during 2008-2012. In this study, several hospitals in USA and Europe were monitored to improve resuscitation efforts and to conduct objective interviews of persons claiming NDE’s. In a number of emergency rooms and cardiac care units, pictures were placed high over the shelves that can only be viewed from above. This was specifically aimed at out of body experiences. It was reasoned that if such claims are for real then those persons should be able to describe those images. In reality, it was found out that out of body experiences are very rare. Only two persons claimed such experiences during the study and no definitive answers were found. So jury is still out on that matter. 

A recent development in this field is EPR (Emergency Preservation and Resuscitation) treatment which was reported in several journals last year. It is in initial stages for trauma patients at a few places in the US. It works by lowering the patient’s body temperature and replacing blood with cold saline solution. By applying EPR, patient will go into a state of suspended animation. Once the damage to the body is repaired, blood will be pumped back and person can be brought back to life. A possible application of this technique could be longer space voyages of future. It would be much more economical and efficient besides psychological reasons to send astronauts in the state of suspended animation and revive them years or decades later. 

All these developments raises several moral and ethical dilemmas. Lines between life and death are being blurred. Are we playing God and interfering with the course of nature? The answer would vary from person to person based on personal beliefs and convictions. But humans started to alter the course of nature when first person was cured through herbs and plants or was given some kind of first aid treatment. Other living being don’t do that. Science of medicine evolved over centuries and new discoveries were made. Modern medicine and surgery techniques, state of art diagnostics, mass vaccinations and organ transplants are extending human lifespan and delaying death all over the world. 3D organ printing is now at initial stages and nanobots are getting ready to roam human body. Humans would keep on adopting such measures to extent life because nature allows us to do that.

A Bright Sunny Day

It’s a bright sunny day and temperatures are at minus sixteen. Real feel index is well below minus twenty. When you step out, it feels like a really nice weather for a first few minutes. It almost feels unreal. Then, cold starts to bite in. Icy, crisp air begins to gnaw on your lungs. Stay longer outside, without proper protection and serious damage might occur due to frostbite. However, I must admit that overall exposure to cold weather here in Toronto is less than that of the winters in Attock or Islamabad. This may seem paradoxical but temperature control in buildings and transport makes this little magic possible. What started with the mastery of fire in human evolution and progress has certainly come a long way since. Human ingenuity is always pushing the boundaries to new levels. And there will be other wonders in the times to come. Weather manipulation on a global scale and then terraforming of other planets might follow in the coming centuries. Future looks bright.

Niagara

Horseshoe portion of the falls 

Niagara falls are not the highest or the widest in the world, but these are the most accessible from Toronto and are utterly breathtaking. The thunder of the falls is so alluring that these have to be visited time and again.

American Falls and the Rainbow bridge

Skylon Tower

Before the Canadian portion of falls, there is the old majestic building of Toronto Power Generating Station. This power station was built by the investor and visionary Sir Henry Pellatt (of Casa Loma) in 1906. It was later appropriated by the Government, on the grounds that electricity should be free to all like air and water. That never happened but it caused a major dent to Sir Henry business empire.

Entrance to the Power Station building

It was a cold, cloudy and windy day. The real feel index was around minus ten. After spending an hour in the open, my fingers started to hurt from the cold and I was experiencing some difficulty in speaking. Then the sun came out behind the clouds and there was a mist rainbow hanging over the falls. It was worth it.

Toronto Mini Maker Faire

 

Toronto Mini Maker Faire was held at the Reference Library on 22nd and 23rd of November. Maker Faire was started by Make magazine in 2006 to "celebrate arts, crafts, engineering, science projects and the Do-It-Yourself (DIY) mindset". Independently organized small scale local events are called Mini Maker Faire. Dozens of such events are now hosted every year across the developed world. Here Individuals, start-ups and small companies bring their projects for recognition, to display their expertise and to win customers.

Children loved R2D2

3D Printers at work

This year's emphasis was on 3D printing and Robotics. Especially, the variety and extent of 3D printers was astonishing. Multi-color and Multi-print material printers are now becoming a standard. This field is attracting so much attention from the companies, inventors and youngsters that 3D printer might become household appliance within a decade.

Papa drone and baby drone

One other product that I really liked was about micro drones. This small quad-rotor can fit in the palm of your hand and is still capable of a top speed of 40 Km per hour, 300 feet range and real-time video recording. Its bigger pro version can easily be adopted for remote sensing of crop data in agriculture besides numerous other uses.

Youngsters busy in designing models for 3D printing.

There were also 3D Printing, Soldering, Silk screening and Origami workshops for children. Encouraging creativity at a younger age is key to a nation’s innovative edge. Standing there and watching those children with spark in their eyes and intense absorption in tasks was mesmerizing. Who knows that how many of the future inventors, creators, designers and entrepreneurs were being fashioned at that point in time? I thought that no one can see the future but certainly a bright one is being created here. 

Toronto the Third

There was definitely some snowfall.

Third time is supposed to be a charm but on this occasion it went little rough contrary to the common belief. First off, PIA’s flight was late due to some undisclosed reason. During flight, seat was uncomfortable, footrest was broken and video was non functional. Then on arrival, baggage arrived very late. When I came out of the airport it was well into the evening and it was raining hard. Dragging my luggage through bus stops and subway stations, I was tired, soaked and miserable.

Next morning, I went out for breakfast to a nearby Tim Horton. It is cloudy and chilly outside but everything seemed fine. The place was cozy and coffee and muffins were great. By the time I turned back, the wind picked up and it started to snow. Soon it turned into a blizzard (according to my perception). My clothing was not adequate for this kind of weather and the distance of less than a kilometer started to seem like a journey into a void. When I reached house, I realized that I don’t have keys for the front door. Then the latch of the backdoor got stuck. A number of scary scenarios flashed before my eyes (after all it was Halloween just a day before). Although situation was rather quickly resolved but my house mates were not impressed. I heard comments like “Come on, don't be dramatic. It was not even a proper snowfall, these were just flurries. You haven’t seen anything yet. Last year it was like….” and so on.

One can say that honest stories always lack a dramatic flair but it is these little incidents that makes life interesting and I am looking forward to interesting times.