Hibernation: What is it? Types of Hibernation and Human Hibernation in the Medical Field

of the patient, slowing down the vital functions for therapeutic purposes.At the same time, however, there is a typology of human hibernation that is practiced post-mortem for those who request it; in these cases, however, it would be more correct to speak of human cryopreservation.

Controlled Therapeutics

In medicine, the term "artificial hibernation" has long been used to indicate a procedure consisting of "lowering the body temperature below 35 ° C. Nowadays, however, this term is considered obsolete and the procedure is indicated with the name of therapeutic hypothermia, controlled hypothermia, therapeutic induced hypothermia (ITI) or targeted temperature management.

How does it work

Human hibernation used in the medical field involves lowering the core body temperature below 35 ° C, in order to preserve the cells from damage and death. In detail, the body temperature is brought to around 32-34 ° C through the use of special cooling catheters or through the use of cooling blankets.

This particular type of hibernation is practiced in patients where there is a need to protect the cells from damage resulting from a condition of hypoxia. Not surprisingly, therapeutic hypothermia is typically used in the following cases:

• In patients resuscitated after cardiac arrest;
• In the presence of head trauma;
• In case of neonatal hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy;
• In the presence of perinatal asphyxia.

In such conditions, in fact, it is believed that a lowering of body temperature is able to reduce the need for oxygen and other nutrient substrates of the cell, facilitating its repair and healing processes.