Microparticles That Let You "Live Without Breathing"? Well, Kinda.

The truth is that our bodies can’t really tolerate interruptions in oxygen, and for good reason, too. Without oxygen, all the biological processes that power our cells run out of fuel, and the electrical signals that power the neurons in our brain wind down and eventually halt.

Sure, for a little while, our bodies can pull out all the stops and compensate for our loss of oxygen. For example, blood vessels in the lungs constrict to redirect blood flow to better-ventilated areas of the lungs. But our systems can only keep up for so long. 

After a minute or two, our time starts to run out. As oxygen levels decrease and carbon dioxide builds up, things can go south pretty quickly. Irregular heartbeats and permanent brain damage set in. Our kidneys, liver, and other vital organs are soon damaged. And things just continue to go south from there.

After 10 minutes, we’re unlikely to recover. After 15 minutes, it’s virtually impossible. Or at least, it is for now.  

An elixir of life?

Back in 2012, a team of scientists created an “elixir” of microparticles that could potentially be used to oxygenate the human body. The best part? The microparticles didn’t need help from your lungs, meaning you wouldn’t have to breathe. 

The microparticles consist of tiny bubbles of oxygen gas encased by shells of fatty molecules, or lipids. These tiny, flexible “microbubbles” can squeeze through capillaries that oxygen gas can’t. As a result, the microparticles can be injected into a body, and that body will automatically suck the oxygen out of them, at least to a certain degree. 

To control the dosage that would be administered, the researchers suspended the microbubbles in an injectable foam containing three to four times more oxygen than in our blood. When injected, the microbubbles broke down and delivered their payloads of oxygen to any cells in need. 

The scientists injected this foam into rabbits with low oxygen levels in their blood. The result? Their blood oxygen saturation levels returned to normal levels in seconds. In other words, scientists developed a way to administer oxygen and other gasses directly into the bloodstream, with no breathing required. 

In animal tests, rabbits with blocked windpipes were kept alive and stable for 15 minutes. Not only that, but the injection also reduced organ injuries and heart attacks caused by low oxygen levels. 

So, is the next step humans who can live without breathing? 

Alas, not exactly. But this could be a compelling way to rescue people who are suffering from low oxygen levels (due to choking or other causes). And since the initial paper was published in 2012, additional studies have been conducted, and we are getting at least a little closer. Let’s dive deeper and break things down.

Living without breathing?

To date, the microparticles have still only been tested on animals, and the human body has, well, quite a lot of differences. Nonetheless, it is right to think of the experiment as a proof-of-concept for a rescue device that could be used in humans (the results were honestly incredibly promising). But it is wrong to think of this as a precursor to living indefinitely in an oxygen-free environment.

Even if the microparticles do work on humans, we can’t “live” without breathing. We can just survive without breathing for a bit longer. 

The microparticles in the initial experiment could substitute for breathing for 15 to 30 minutes — tops. If used for longer, the carrier liquid and fatty molecules in the casing would overload the bloodstream.

Then, in 2016, scientists developed a new system called thin-walled, hollow polymer microcapsules (PHMs). PHMs carry five times more oxygen than red blood cells. They’re also more robust, as the PHMs don’t cause any obstruction in the blood vessels. Both of these points help address the problems with long-term, sustained use.

Case in point, this time, scientists administered a much lower volume and still achieved the same effects. They managed to raise oxygen saturation to safe levels for roughly 10 minutes.

That buys enough time until some other life-saving technology — such as a life support machine — can more permanently rectify the situation. For instance, an extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) machine effectively takes over the functions of the heart and lungs for anywhere between a few hours to a few weeks. The current iterations of the oxygen particles don’t get us anywhere near that long.  

So, where are we now?

Currently, the primary ways to save people from prolonged oxygen deprivation are CPR, mechanical ventilation (a tracheal tube or similar), or oxygenating blood outside the body (which is what an ECMO machine does). 

However, quite a few complications may occur with all of these. For example, CPR can cause rib fractures, sternum fractures, lung injuries, and abdominal organ injuries — just to name a few. 

And the ECMO machine is a remarkably intense intervention. To work, it pumps blood from a patient's body to an oxygenator — basically, an artificial lung — which adds oxygen to the blood and removes carbon dioxide. The blood is then pumped with the same force as the heart as it’s sent back into the patient. 

As a result, ECMO machines can cause internal bleeding, kidney failure, infections, leg damage leading to amputations, or even stroke — again, just to name a few. 

Now, that’s not to say that these aren’t remarkable interventions. They are, and they have saved many, many lives. But in today’s medical sciences, unfortunately, many things come with a price. We need better solutions. 

In this respect, these latest advances could mark the start of a new and better future. 

And as our knowledge of medical technologies and materials science continue to advance, who’s to say they won’t find their way to other uses, such as on a spaceship or maybe even when the Earth loses its oxygen-rich atmosphere in a billion years…