On 14: 30 pm of June 19, 2018, in Shandong Yinfeng Life Science research institution (hereinafter referred to as the "Yinfeng Institute"), a special farewell is a visit through glass window and a benevolent elder was witnessed to be transferred into a liquid nitrogen tank at -196 ° C. She was visited by her family, a husband who had been in love with her for 53 years, four children who had been raised up with her hard work, and another dozen of people like her granddaughter who had been treated as the apple in her eyes.
The cryopreserved old woman, Liu Aihui, aged 72, is another volunteer who participated in the Yinfeng Life Extension Research Program. Her husband, Mr. Zhou who's 73 years old, sobbed when he saw his wife just finished the process of cryosurgery, lying peacefully in her sleeping bag and was about to be preserved in liquid nitrogen. "Your have your dream come true," He said.
This is the first case that the Yinfeng Research Institute has used the "ECMO" technology to complete the transshipment of donated body of volunteer and achieve a successful cryopreservation of the human body after obtaining the qualification of body receiving which was approved by Health and Family Planning Commission of Shandong on March 28 this year. It is the most complete, comprehensive, and challenging typical case in the life continuation research program.
Thanks to the full support of the Tai'an Red Cross, the close cooperation of the Tai'an Central Hospital, the unanimous agreement of the volunteer's family, the quick response of the Yinfeng expert team and the full use of all the instruments and equipment, the cryopreservation of the human body can be successfully finished. High regards should be paid for Liu Aihui and her family members for the trust of life science and their dedication!
"Our family members unanimously supports this important decision"
In the summer of 2017, Liu Aihui's youngest son saw the news that "Yinfeng Biological Group completed the first operation of cryogenic preservation for human body in China" from the Internet, and then told his father, Mr. Zhou, because both of them knew that his mother, who had been suffering from lung cancer for many years, had been nagging for a long time to donate her body for medical research.
In November of the same year, the youngest daughter of Liu Aihui contacted the Yinfeng Research Institute and learned about the cryogenic preservation research plan, conditions for participation and related legal procedures through on-site visits and consultations. Then, the youngest daughter came to the Yinfeng Research Institute with Mr. Zhou and her brother for further discussions about the steps and details of the specific implementation and signed the relevant documents for participating in the research plan.
"My wife and I have lived together for more than 50 years. She used to be an ordinary worker. She never pursuing fancy food or clothes, and she was simple and kind." Mr. Zhou said that in the area where they live, there are not many people who know his wife's name, but many people know that she is willing to help others.
"She has always been willing to help people, know how to contribute to others, do good things, and donating the remains for scientific research is a good thing she wants to do," said Mr. Zhou. His wife had always had this idea and had discussed it with him. "I also discussed with our children and unanimously supported her decision."
"My mother has faith and confidence in sciences ," said the youngest daughter. "my siblings are very filial, so the will of my mother is also the will of our entire family."
Six months after the evaluation of the disease, Yinfeng Research Institute have keep in touch with the family members, and the physiological indicators of the elderly are relatively stable.
With precise prediction, valuable 7 minutes were saved
On June 13, 2018, the Yinfeng Research Institute received a phone call from the patient's family that the some of physiological indicators were abnormal. In the afternoon of the same day, Yinfeng Research Institute immediately organized experts to rush to Tai'an Central Hospital for clinical assessment, integrated with the primarily diagnose from physician and then experts were initiate a clinical response after assessing with rich clinical experience.
Different from Mrs. Zhan, "China's First Case of Cryopreservation of Human Body" implemented by Yinfeng Research Institute, Liu Aihui has been treated in ICU of Tai'an Central Hospital for a period of time. If the transferring needs to be finished before her death, it involves complicated factors such as donation procedures, stabilized condition, conditions for hospitalization and discharging, and family acceptance. After in-depth discussion, experts from Yinfeng Institute decided to use "ECMO" technology for remote transshipment after clinical death of volunteers, which makes higher requirements for implementation — the strong support from the Red Cross, the rich experience and precise prediction from the doctor in charge, and close cooperation from the standby team, comprehensive cooperation with hospital wards, fully preparation of instruments and equipment, effective control of transit time and timely react to any kinds of unexpected situations. All of that requires tight match on planning and accurate implementation with zero tolerate to any errors. "Muster, go!" 22: 40 pm, June 16th, there was a message suddenly popped up from WeChat group of the Yinfeng clinical standby team which everyone had been waiting for it but was unwilling to receive. This is an emergency instruction given by the head of Yinfeng Research Institute based on the latest vital signs data informed by the doctor in the ICU ward of Tai'an Central Hospital. A few minutes later, the clinical standby vehicle team, including the ambulance, experts and various instruments and equipment and quickly drove out of Yinfeng Bio Group to Tai'an Central Hospital. At 0: 00 on June 17th, the team of experts arrived at the hospital. But before the experts had no time to talk further with the family members, there's a call said the patient's blood pressure dropped rapidly. Alan Drake and Hou Yuedong rushed to the ICU immediately and other team members quickly carried various instruments and equipment. At that time, the patient's biosignatures are back to zero and disappearing one by one. Seven minutes later, the doctor in charge announced the patient's clinical death, and then Yinfeng clinical specialists began a special operation in ICU ward. Clinical experts from Yinfeng rapidly inject various drugs into her bodies and take cooling measures, perform artificial support for cardiopulmonary to maintain the patient's blood circulation, and establish "ECMO" extracorporeal circulation through the femoral arteries and veins. At 3: 30 a.m., under the protection of the life support system, her body was carefully transferred to an ambulance and rushed to Jinan. "Love limited within family members is just bond, but what can contribute to science is selflessness" Similar to news description of the case released last year by Yinfeng Research Institute, the team of experts performed operations such as blood replacement, cryoprotectant infusion and procedural cryonics in the following dozens of hours. On 14: 30 pm of 19th, the final procedure for Liu Aihui to be transferred to a liquid nitrogen tank was began. More than ten family members witnessed her being transferred into a liquid nitrogen tank at -196 ° C across the glass window. "You will never forget us, but because of brain radiotherapy, you sometimes forget things, so I still got to remind you a little". The bonds between mother and son are so deep to bound an appoint with blood, and in order to remain his mother's memory, the youngest son write letters with tears and looking forward to awaken her memory in the future, it said, "Everything is as usual at home, your mobile phone, I have been paying for it..."
Considering Mr. Zhou's emotion, the youngest son has been reluctant to agree that Yinfeng's clinical team enter into the hospital in advance for preparation. The clinical standby expert of Yinfeng Research Institute communicated closely with the doctors in the ICU and paid close attention to the changes of the patient's indicators while discussing the detailed procedures and surgical plans.
On June 15th, the clinical standby team, including Aaron Drake, an expert in cryogenic preservation of the human body, Sun Wenyu, an expert in cardiac surgery, Hou Yuedong, an expert of anesthesiologist, Zhao Fen, an extracorporeal circulator and other members, gathered together and get into the "24-hour" clinical standby stage. The Yinfeng Research Institute is only 3 kilometers away from the highway entrance and 100 kilometers from the Tai'an Central Hospital. The clinical standby team decided to stand by at the Institute so that it could quickly set off and reach the patient's hospital as quickly as possible.
Previously, after receiving Liu Aihui's family's application about body donation, the Tai'an Red Cross paid much attention to it and actively discussed with Shandong Red Cross about the feasibility of remote donating and respected the wishes of the family members and support it. After learning that Liu Aihui's volunteered to participate in Yinfeng's human cryopreservation research, Tai'an Central Hospital fully cooperated and organized several meetings involved with multiple departments to discuss and assist the special surgery carried out by Yinfeng Institution.
Mr. Zhou held onto the glass with his hands and whispered his wife's name. The youngest son trembled and used his mobile phone to record this moment. The eldest daughter, who had been accessing medicines for her mother for many years, shed tears and said, "Mom, you will always be with us!
After calming down, Mr. Zhou recalled what Liu Aihui had often said to him before. "when people gone, they just turn to ashes, and that's it. But it can makes more sense if it contributes to science and medicine. No matter for what kind of things, someone has to make the first attempt, if that's neither you nor me, there's no chance for science to develop. I was sad to lose her, but I admired her at the same time, and missed her so much. "
When he thanked the expert team of Yinfeng Research Institute, Mr. Zhou said, "Since my wife is here, I will choose the same road in the future."
The youngest daughter said, "We are agreed with the tremendous progress that has been made in cryogenic medical research and research on cryopreservation and resuscitation of human tissues and organs. Science has a mature side and an immature one, and it can't get development until someone dedicate for it.” Mother loves our family and that is just family bond. But if (what is done now) is helpful to science, that will make it as selfless love and philanthropism.