Spike Jones <spike66@attglobal.net> writes:
> More work than it is worth? Curious comment, considering the value
> of transplant organs. Currently nonideal tissue matches are used
> because of timing considerations. When a sack of organs becomes
> available, the patients that get the organs are often those who are
> closest or most available, not those whose tissues are the best match
> or whose need is the most dire.
The demand is also much higher than the supply, so while a short-term
storage system would be nice and there is a definite interest in being
able to store organs (just ask 21st Century Medicine), most available
organs tend to be used quickly. They might not get distributed
optimally though. This kind of sustaining of the body might be useful,
but I doubt we are talking about months or even weeks.
I'll discuss it with Henrik Ohrstrom, he has started working at a
transplant clinic recently and should be getting up to date on the
subject.
> Altho the whole notion carries a huge squick-factor, seems to me
> a relatively straightforward medical procedure and some reasonably
> basic equipment could keep a headless body going for several days,
> long enough to locate and fly in the best candidates for the organs. spike
Well, why remove the head in the first place? Unless it is seriously
damaged it won't matter much.
-- ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Anders Sandberg Towards Ascension! asa@nada.kth.se http://www.nada.kth.se/~asa/ GCS/M/S/O d++ -p+ c++++ !l u+ e++ m++ s+/+ n--- h+/* f+ g+ w++ t+ r+ !y
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