Should Cryonicists Buy Defribrillators?

Raphael T. Haftka asked on CryoNet

"If I want to spend $2500 to decrease my chances of dying suddenly, is a defibrillator the best investment?"

Doug Skrecky replied:

Logon to pubmed and look up "policosanol" first. Then check out "enhanced external counterpulsation".

From Tim Freeman

I don't have any special insights into defibrillators, but:

Get your cholesterol tested, including your HDL. Exercise regularly.Form a stable relationship with someone else with similar interests and live with them; that way if one of you passes out, the other can do CPR (or maybe use the defibrillator?) and call for an ambulance.

The two of you should take a CPR course and get formal training to use the defibrillator if you get one. Learn the symptoms of heart attacks so you and your partner will know when to call the ambulance; I read once that the average delay between a heart attack and when a doctor gets involved is 4 hours, which is much more than you want.

There are probably supplements you could take.

Watch what the Digital Angel people are up to. You may soon be able to wear something that will call an ambulance for you if your heart stops beating. I know you can buy a panic button that you wear on a necklace and will make a phone call for you if you push it. If you're living alone I don't see how you're going to apply the defibrillator to yourself, so a panic button might be more effective.

There's a cheap version that you pay for once from Radio Shack and an expensive version with a subscription fee that sends people to rescue you if you don't touch your telephone once a day or so.

Adjust your diet so you aren't overweight. Don't smoke. If the heart attack is most likely to happen only after you age significantly, try to do calorie restriction to slow the aging. Don't overdo the CR; Ben Best has reported heart symptoms as a consequence of overzealous CR.

Most of the useful interventions seem to take time and effort, rather than money. I think that's because money is mostly a way to get someone else to spend time, and you can't really delegate something like this effectively. I suppose the straight answer to your question is to spend the $2500 to delegate other parts of your life (like food shopping?) so you can have time to pay attention to this other stuff.Tim Freeman

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Hi there.

I wanted to add something to Tim Freeman's message about defibrillators.

I fully agree with the advice he gives, but I can add a piece of information that may save someone's life.

A defibrillator or AED is an excellent idea. Essentially one needs very little formal training in order to be able to operate one. The computer analyzes the person's heart rhythm, and makes the decision whether to defibrillate or not. It then instructs the user to push the button necessary to deliver the electric charge to the patient.

One of the most common causes of sudden death is a lethal arrhythmia, which is very different from a heart attack.

A sudden lethal arrhythmia such as pulseless ventricular tachycardia and ventricular fibrillation is treated immediately by administering an electric shock to the heart, effectively stopping it. Then, in principle, the heart's cells, which all inherently want to beat, will pick up the signal from the heart's pacer, to all beat at the same time again, thus producing a rhythm compatible with life. Essentially you are rebooting the heart by shutting it off, and hoping it will restart properly.

In the absence of an AED, one trick which can't hurt is to make a fist, swing your arm up in the air, and pound the mid chest with as much force as you can muster. (not repeatedly, just once or twice).This has sometimes been known to help...although you will initiate CPR too, as this person is likely unconscious, pulseless and breathless.

Obviously it is very important to develop a regimen that makes you as healthy as possible, as well as being very proactive with your medical provider to get thoroughly examined for any possible time bombs lurking inside.

I will likely be looking to purchase an AED, as I know from experience that the sooner a pulse is restored, the more likely the person is to survive.

Christine Gaspar

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Thanks for all who replied to may query about the cost effectiveness of defibrillators. In particular, Christine Gaspar was as usual a good source of information. Some advised me to spend my money to keep my weight down, take care of my cholesterol, get married, etc. I probably should have said in my original message that I had already done all of these things. However, even though my heart is in good shape mechanically and the pipes are not clogged, I have arythmia, which increases my chances for a heart attack. After checking on the subject, I am leaning to the view that de-fibrillators are a good investment. Raphael Haftka

A google search turned up a number of suppliers and manufacturers selling new, used and refurbished units, the cheapest new model was $1285.