UPDATE FROM SUSPENDED ANIMATION March 30, 2003

Suspended Animation continues to develop its facilities in Boca Raton, FL, while it provides limited services to patients. Over the past month, SA performed a patient Standby and Transport in Florida under a last minute direct contract with the patient’s son. The son made separate last minute arrangements with CI for cooldown and long term custodial care.

In this case, SA was bedside when the patient died late at night and was able to immediately initiate medication, CPS, transfer into SA’s portable ice bath, and connection to a Respiratory Integrated Thumper to provide continual circulation and oxygenation until washout began.

The MLSS, the integrated cart is used in this transport activity. This major asset, which Mike Quinn our paramedic/researcher is updating and improving, enhances SA’s ability to respond quickly to local Florida standby/transports (Mike is also making a portable version of the MLSS cart above for use on distant standbys.).

In early March SA participated in the transport of an Alcor patient in Southern California and a standby for another Southern California Alcor patient, whose condition improved. Meanwhile, SA personnel attended a week-long Alcor training session in Prescott Arizona. In addition to being students, SA personnel provided portions of the training related to blood washout and would have provided additional instruction had the Standby and Transport efforts not had priority.

The construction at SA has not progressed very far. The city of Boca Raton has moved ahead at glacial speed while processing permits and our construction has been held up accordingly. The vast majority of our equipment remains in local storage awaiting completion of our facilities, including a "procedure room" and associated scrub and support rooms, a pharmaceutical storage room, and two laboratories. One of the laboratories will be focused on supporting ongoing cryopreservation activities, while the other will be focused on R&D.

Work is underway on a whole body cooldown box that we hope will serve both traditional freezing and whole body vitrification patients. We are about to sign a long term contract for LN2, which will be stored inside our facility in a 10,000 liter dewar.

Meanwhile, Chris Dougherty has come aboard and is buried in literature regarding mitigation of ischemic damage. He is reviewing our proposed anti-ischemia drug protocol to find ways to improve it and reduce the labor required to produce and administer it.

Dave Hayes just got back from a week at LABVIEW school and is beginning to put together the software to run our computer controlled vitrification perfusion system.

We are still looking for additional staff, including paramedics, a physician and/or veterinarian, and a secretary receptionist/bookkeeper. Hopefully the next picture of our facility will show walls.

Dave Shumaker