Most of the relevant information regarding Suspended Animation (SA)/Cryonics Institute (CI) Standby and Transport can be found in the announcements (ANNOUNCEMENT PROVIDING AN OVERVIEW), the general introductory information page (GENERAL COMMENTS ABOUT SUSPENDED ANIMATION PROCEDURES), the "how to page" (HOW A CI MEMBER ARRANGES SUSPENDED ANIMATION STANDBY AND TRANSPORT) and the SA-CI Agreements themselves. All of these documents (including the present one) can be accessed through the web page entitled: SUSPENDED ANIMATION STANDBY FOR CI MEMBERS

This page is intended to provide additional context information about Suspended Animation (SA), the procedures/protocols SA offers, and the terms under which they are offered. Readers should appreciate that this is a new program, the documents are new and that additional material will soon be added as we gain experience with the questions that Members and prospective Members have about SA and its procedures.

Suspended Animation, Inc. is a Florida-based research and development company focused on finding improved cryopreservation procedures, including whole body vitrification. The President of the company is Saul Kent, who has a long history as a promoter of cryonics research. The project is mainly financed by the Life Extension Foundation. SA had problems in obtaining the proper zoning permits to operate in Boca Raton, but obtained approval to operate in Boynton Beach, Florida. Suspended Animation relocated to a new building in Boynton Beach in June, 2005.

The Cryonics Institute has an agreement (contract) with Suspended Animation entitled Cryopreservation Agreement between the Cryonics Institute and Suspended Animation. This agreement specifies obligations between SA and CI under which the SA procedures are offered to CI Members. The agreement is to be renewed automatically on a yearly basis unless adjustments are to be made before renewal. This agreement is essential for Suspended Animation Local Help Rider and the Individual Agreement Regarding Standby for a Cryonics Institute Member by Suspended Animation to be valid, but cancellation of the Cryopreservation Agreement between the Cryonics Institute and Suspended Animation is not anticipated. If not-renewal did occur, there would be notification 30 days prior to the April 21 renewal date and SA-Affiliated CI Members would be informed immediately.

There are two attachments to the Cryopreservation Agreement between the Cryonics Institute and Suspended Animation. Attachment 1 is Certification of Completion of Standby Performed for the Cryonics Institute by Suspended Animation. This document between SA and CI would normally be of only marginal interest to SA-Affiliated CI Members. Attachment 2, Schedule of Fees for Standby Provided for the Cryonics Institute by Suspended Animation however, is of much greater concern.

The Fee Schedule is also to be revised annually. But fees applicable to any individual SA-Affiliated CI Members will always be valid for one year. For example, if a SA-Affiliated CI Member completes arrangements in August and a new Fee Schedule is announced the following April, the SA-Affiliated CI Member's fees will not change until his/her annual renewal date in August, at the time when the annual readiness fee payment is due. Readiness fees are to be paid to CI, although the SA-Affiliated CI Members should deal directly with SA concerning health status changes and pre-mortem Standby funding. No change of fees will be made prior to the year 2010.

Pre-mortem Standby funding can be pre-paid directly to SA or arrangements made with SA for a special Deployment bank account. Beginning in 2006 insurance can also be used to pay for the pre-mortem Standby procedures in addition to all of post-mortem procedures.

It is always prudent to buy insurance for cryonics purposes that is well above the minimum required. Although grandfathering of fees is a common practice in cryonics, it is not guaranteed and additional new services may be more costly. If insurance is purchased for well above the amount required in the Fee Schedule for a particular year, the SA-Affiliated CI Member can either bequest the residue to CI or can make a yearly adjustment to the insurance policy concerning the percent of the proceeds CI is to receive. SA guarantees that its basic fees will not increase more than 10% in any one year after 2010 (no increase before 2010), although additional services may be made available for additional costs.

CI must be the owner of insurance policies used by SA-Affiliated CI Members, but CI will relinquish insurance policy ownership if a CI Member discontinues SA-Affiliated status. As CI gains experience with its relationship with Standby and Suspended Animation, it is possible that insurance funding may pay for some Standby costs under some circumstances in the future, even though this is not the case in the present.

A summary of the current Suspended Animation fees is provided in this Standby Fee PDF file table (as well as in the image above), which summarizes the information in the Schedule of Fees for Standby Provided for the Cryonics Institute by Suspended Animation. (The PDF file has the same content as the adjacent image, but is easier to read.)

As shown in the Standby Fee PDF file table, payment can be made by the Prepaid Incremental Standby Plan, the Prepaid Flat-Rate Standby Plan or the Insured Standby Plan.

In the Prepaid Incremental Standby Plan the Deployment Fee is $7,500. The Deployment time includes the mobilization, transportation and set-up time for the Suspended Animation team and the initial Standby time up to a total of 72 hours (3 days). If the patient has not deanimated within the 72-hour Deployment period, the mandatory Continuation Fee is $2,500 for each additional 24-hours of Standby.

In the Prepaid Flat-Rate Standby Plan a mandatory Comprehensive Fee is required for a patient who makes a single prepayment ($25,000) that can cover two deployments plus unlimited Standby time as long as the patient remains at Serious Risk of imminent death. As explained in Section II n of the Individual Agreement Regarding Standby for a Cryonics Institute Member by Suspended Animation the decision of Serious Risk is made by Suspended Animation based on the opinion of "at least two appropriately qualified medical advisors". For a medical condition which Suspended Animation determines to be less than Serious Risk a patient can nonetheless pay an optional Continuation Fee of $2,500. A patient with the Insured Standby Plan can pay (in cash) the same optional Continuation Fee for a medical condition which is less than Serious Risk.

All costs can be paid for through life insurance. If Standby is paid for by the Insured Standby Plan rather than prepaid, the cost is $5,000 above the cost of the Prepaid Flat-Rate Standby Plan. Insurance payment also includes the mandatory Completion Fee for Suspended Animation procedures and the mandatory fee paid to the Cryonics Institute for cryoprotectant perfusion and long-term storage in liquid nitrogen. The Suspended Animation Completion Fee is $30,000. The Cryonics Institute perfusion and storage fee is $28,000 (Option One, Lifetime Membership) or $35,000 (Option Two, Yearly Membership).

The vitrification solution perfusion by the Cryonics Institute is bundled with the liquid nitrogen storage fee, but if the patient wishes the option of glycerol perfusion by Suspended Animation then an additional $5,000 must be paid. The other optional postmortem fee is for air ambulance (rather than scheduled airline) to Michigan, which is $15,000.

All perfusion and storage for CI patients is whole-body (no "neuro" or "head-only" procedure is offered). Perfusion done by CI rather than SA is included in the CI storage fee at no additional cost. Currently, CI would be perfusing the upper body with the vitrification solution of CI staff cryobiologist Dr. Yuri Pichugin. The vitrification perfusion procedure has been described in the articles Vitrification Protocol used on Dog and The Cryonics Institute's 69th Patient as well as in the case reports for more recent patients. Perfusion procedures offered by SA are also expected to improve in the future (and be more expensive).

The SA-Affiliated CI Member is given a choice in the Suspended Animation Local Help Rider about how public information is to be concerning his/her identity and about whether SA is to provide details of the application of SA procedures in his/her particular case. SA-Affliated CI Members should consider that greater availability of information benefits cryonics and benefits him/her.

Details of the SA Protocol is updated at least annually and can be found in the document entitled: Protocol for SA-CI Standby to be Performed for the Cryonics Institute by Suspended Animation. The protocol documentation assures a technical standard for SA procedures. Details of many case reports are expected to be provided by SA as time goes on.

Cryonics Institute
24355 Sorrentino Court
Clinton Township, MI 48035
Phone 1-586-791-5961 Fax 1-586-792-7062