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I been reading some articles online that claim that scientists have discovered a way to live without breathing for up to 30 minutes by injecting a lipid solution into a bloodstream.

Scientists Invent Particles That Will Let You Live Without Breathing (Gizmodo)

The articles seem quite convincing and promising but I just want to make sure if this is true.

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    If you have access to an institutional subscription, the paper detailing this research is here, in the journal Science Translational Medicine. I found this simply by following the links in the gizmodo article you provide.
    – Richard Terrett
    Commented Jan 25, 2013 at 4:40
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    Related: phdcomics.com/comics/archive.php?comicid=1174
    – ESultanik
    Commented Jan 25, 2013 at 21:10
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    It's important to understand that the infusion has to be continuous. When it is stopped the benefit stops within seconds.
    – Mike Dunlavey
    Commented Jan 25, 2013 at 21:35
  • Hi Xit, without other explanations, however, the principle emerged in expanded form a few years later the men discoverd the mitocondriac citoplasm, but on the basis of that information, they secured a warrant for future advancing, which scientist are still proceding, though.
    – Carlo Alterego
    Commented Jan 26, 2013 at 11:15

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The source of the articles is Science Translational Medicine, which is a peer reviewed journal under the auspices of the AAAS. Here is the abstract of the article

We have developed an injectable foam suspension containing self-assembling, lipid-based microparticles encapsulating a core of pure oxygen gas for intravenous injection. Prototype suspensions were manufactured to contain between 50 and 90 ml of oxygen gas per deciliter of suspension. Particle size was polydisperse, with a mean particle diameter between 2 and 4 μm. When mixed with human blood ex vivo, oxygen transfer from 70 volume % microparticles was complete within 4 s. When the microparticles were infused by intravenous injection into hypoxemic rabbits, arterial saturations increased within seconds to near-normal levels; this was followed by a decrease in oxygen tensions after stopping the infusions. The particles were also infused into rabbits undergoing 15 min of complete tracheal occlusion. Oxygen microparticles significantly decreased the degree of hypoxemia in these rabbits, and the incidence of cardiac arrest and organ injury was reduced compared to controls. The ability to administer oxygen and other gases directly to the bloodstream may represent a technique for short-term rescue of profoundly hypoxemic patients, to selectively augment oxygen delivery to at-risk organs, or for novel diagnostic techniques. Furthermore, the ability to titrate gas infusions rapidly may minimize oxygen-related toxicity.

While the Gizmodo article is more news than science, I know of no reason to doubt the underlying truth of the original journal article.

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  • thank you what got me to post here is because i couldn't find the sources for their article.
    – Xitcod13
    Commented Jan 26, 2013 at 1:56
  • There's a link to a Science Daily article at the bottom. The Science Daily article tells you the journal, date and authors of the paper. Google finds the paper.
    – DJClayworth
    Commented Jan 26, 2013 at 22:15

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