Reversing Death: The Miracle of Modern Medicine

Recent breakthroughs in emergency medicine have enabled modern science to halt and even reverse death. At the same time, these advances have inadvertently led science into a domain that has traditionally been relegated to theology and philosophy. The so-called "grey areas" between the time of death and the time of resuscitation—ranging from several minutes up to several hours—have raised intriguing questions about brain activity and consciousness during this period that have compelled us to re-examine our conception of death.

Emergency medicine experts Lance Becker and Sam Parnia and neurosurgeon Stephan Mayer discuss key discoveries and emerging technologies in resuscitation science that are helping to bring back those on the brink of death, and the difficult questions and ethical dilemmas they sometimes confront during medical crises.

The New York Academy of Sciences
Wednesday, October 9, 2013

This event is part of the Rethinking Mortality: Exploring the Boundaries between Life and Death series, which brings together leading experts to discuss this new frontier at the intersection of life and death, and its potential implications for how we approach and understand our mortality from scientific, ethical, and spiritual perspectives.

[gregorypeeper]

I'm somewhat at a loss for words, so I hope I am able to make my point: These gentlemen, with their belief in the sanctity of life; their abilities; their intense interest in researching, and advancing the cause of human existence; I am in awe, and congratulate you. Truly great individuals who restore my faith in mankind. Thank-you to each is in order.

[kimberlyschannel]

I had a Nde... I was over my body and knew thing's that were going on even when I supposedly had no brain function. I did go into a tunnel but my parent's held my hand during it. My Mom let go and seen my Dad commit suicide ( which he really did 6 month's after this). I also did go into a light and was being comforted by a woman. She told me not to worry because I would be reborn in 2014. Than a loud voice of a man said " No she has to go back now". She told me " your going back to keep saying 2006 until you wake up". So I kept saying 2006 until I woke up seeing my Mom standing there with her eyes looking at me shocked. I knew I was pregnant, which I hadn't known beforehand. I seen them doing the ultrasound. I knew my grandma had come in to say Goodbye to me. I seen the Dr's working on me. Idk, if my experience was real but I can say this. To me it was so real and very vivid. It was way more vivid than a dream.

[kbeetles]

Thank you for this video, very humbling and the panelists are all experts in the field -it is also refreshing to hear their own puzzlements, uncertainties and difficulties within the constraints of their systems. Wonderful people!

[derezzed]

it is impossible to form memories or have visions or hear without the cortex. Meyer knows this. The part of the brain responsible for storing memories is the Papez circuit. Two parts of that system, the cingulate cortex and hippocampus are both found in the cortex.
It is impossible to perceive vision without the visual cortex which is found in the occipital lobe. To understand speech Wernicke's area must be working. Yet according to studies these cortical areas have a flat EEG.

[timism]

Stephen Mayer's comments pointing to some as yet unknown deep structure brain function seem a little odd from a neurologist. Re-defining the portions of the brain that produce our conscious experience, reasoning and memory formation to lower structures as it were, begs the question, , , what do we need our cortex for then? Presumably the top of the brain could be lost in accident but the patient would still retain his faculties ?
And how does this lower brain function gather visual information?

[dubbud]

if you do not try and do everything possible and use every practice/procedure to save someone because you think that theres a chance they will be brain damaged you might as well not do anything

[mallikonduri]

If death is a process (as it is now well known) instead of a sudden event, it raises the question of what is the zero point in the process, if any. It also means there is a theoretical chance of revival at any point above zero.

[christineseibel]

Just because you can revive a dead person, should you? At what point do you determine who lives or dies?

[leebleddyn]

My music teacher drowned when she was a teenager & was dead for thirty minutes
And was necessitated back to life …she also said when she was dead she had a dream that she would grow up and get married and have 7 sons …and she did .

.

[gregorypeeper]

In listening to the question portion, one question involved the cooling process, and the methods used. This in turn ask another question: In cases of cardiac arrest, between the event, and the arrival of EMT's, would it be wise or prudent to begin cooling the individual-for example, cooling in an ice bath- until such time as help arrives?

[dubbud]

Id like to think that a doctor would try every means at his disposal to attempt to resucitate a patient even if there was the possibility of brain damage as even if the odds are unfavourable you know that patient had they any input would want them to make every effort. Personally i think anything else is a defeatist attitude. Id much prefer a doctor with these mens attitude.