Can humans breathe liquid?

[hateraidfree]

If I remember correctly, when they tested this out on human subjects they reported to be extremely uncomfortable. Like you are drowning but still conscious

[lukivanknobi]

The absolutely horrifying thing about liquid breathing is that it would still feel like drowning

[thesexybatman]

Now I get why Shinji didn't wanted to get into the robot.

[professorsypher]

They actually did this for the 1989 film "The Abyss" where they demonstrated the use of oxygenated fluorocarbon fluid by dunking a rat in to it. The thing is, the scene was real. They used the real fluid and shot the scene with 5 different rats, all of which survived the experience.

[cowboybeep]

I can't stop picturing him and his brother in the same house, his brother is just peacefully reading or writing in like a nice quiet study... And then Hank is just freaking out about mad science in the basement.

[andrewclastic]

"It's not water-boarding, Mr. President, it's 'Liquid Breathing'".

[Shazprime]

For people who's lungs are damaged and can't handle mechanical ventilation anymore (see: people with really bad covid) they do something called Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation or ECMO which involves pumping the blood out of the body, oxygenating it artificially, then pumping it back into the body, bypassing the lungs entirely. The whole thing's a bit brutal, but better than dying, I suppose.

[FrankCosbyNo-Relation]

Her: "can we breath liquid?"
Me: "no, you idiot"
Hank: "yes we can"

[razorblade]

The test candidates report that the whole ordeal was traumatising and mentally challenging as they dealt with trying to focus on breathing and battling their innate instinctive understanding that they are drowning.

[lastchance]

Not surprisingly, the instinct that one is drowning is traumatizing and cannot be "unlearned".

[Lvmusicluv]

The Abyss. Great movie. It portrayed this theory to combat pressure while submerged in deep water.

[silentjackm.d]

I honestly think we should have kept exploring this idea because it's an interesting concept that I think there are practical applications. If we figured out how to make the fluid more comfortable they probably would help.
But my main thought is for exploration of places with high-pressure such as the bottom of the ocean and places like it you could also theoretically use this when traveling to other planets that might have different pressures on their surface.

Using liquid breathing to even out pressure

[Aimdog]

I can hear a cruel angel’s thesis in the distance… gotta breathe in that fresh lcl scent

[ThePigKnight]

They do this in Neon Genesis Evangelion for the pilots. The main character even comments that it’s like drowning and super uncomfortable.

[squirls]

I have actually worked on these studies in Missouri years ago. We called it liquid ventilation. The problem was when they did the studies it was always a last ditch effort which skewed the results

[Andrew-owfq]

I think this idea was featured in a book I read as a kid called "Dark Life, " where parts of the coastal ocean in Florida had been colonized due to rising sea levels and a shortage of habitable land, and the colonists lived in perpetually submerged houses on the sea floor. The most realistic thing in the book however was that everyone thought Floridians were really weird

[GippyHappy]

Doctors in 3022: Ah crap this baby can’t breathe **tosses in a tub of water**

[traviszane]

Forgot to mention coming out of the liquid air is like being birthed again and is painful as your lungs have to push the liquid out.

[JustNora]

As someone who was a premie, can confirm that this was once used on premies because the thinking was that it would help premature lungs develop faster than if the babies were forced into an air environment after practicing breathing in utero.
Thankfully my heart and lungs were fully formed. I yanked out my breathing tube twice and then they decided to see if pumping oxygen into my isolette was enough, and it was.

[alexc]

I could see this being useful in certain situations like Hank said when the lungs are compromised and inflating them would be problematic.
Best solution for the feeling of drowning imo would be to put them under anesthesia and then repair the lungs to allow normal breathing, but I’m no surgeon so take what I say with a pound of salt. 😊