Alcor Life Extension is reported to have 199 people in cryonic preservation. Most of the people who decided to undergo this procedure were diagnosed with severe illnesses that do not have a cure. The idea is to keep them in cryonic preservation until biomedical science finds solutions. The process is not just a simple freezing of a human body. The body is placed in an ice bath. Then a CPR device is used to ensure proper blood circulation. Medications are also applied for the purpose of cell protection. The bodies are in reality are not frozen, but vitrified. The people are contained in liquid nitrogen. Preventing blood clots and abnormal blood pressure are the major objectives to make the process successful. There are concerns about cryonic preservation. The bioethics make critics wonder if some are attempting to attain immortality. The people in the facility are technically deemed legally dead. Biologically, they are not. Cryonics from this perspective seems like inducing the ill into a coma or long slumber. The process has not shown to be effective. Then what must be considered is that the cures for cancer or ALS might never be found. That means the people preserved would just remain that way . Alcor Life Extension will not be in business forever. The restoration of consciousness and acclimating the revived could be more difficult than anticipated. Cryonic preservation as a biomedical technology would be limited. However, if it could reach a higher of advancement it could be applied to space travel. This could be a solution to space exploration to galaxies lightyears away. Preserving astronauts would make space travel much easier for long missions. Knowledge is limited about the long term effects of cryonic preservation. At the moment it is not a practical solution to biomedical conditions or the challenges of space travel.
