Cryopreservation is a cutting-edge scientific process designed to preserve the human body at ultra-low temperatures immediately after legal death.
The first and most critical step is rapid body stabilization, which prevents cellular decay and protects brain structure.
Medical teams begin emergency cryonics procedures within minutes, restoring circulation and oxygen using mechanical CPR and oxygenation support.
The body is cooled with ice baths to slow metabolism and reduce ischemic damage. Blood is then replaced with cryoprotective agents to prevent ice crystal formation during deep freezing.
This immediate post-mortem stabilization is essential for long-term cryonic preservation and potential future revival technologies.
How a Body is Stabilized for Cryopreservation Immediately After Legal Death
Cryopreservation — freezing someone after death with the hope that future medicine might restore them — is one of those ideas that sounds like science fiction. However, it is a real option and beneath the headlines lies a fascinating blend of biology, physics and logistics. The precise process for cryopreservation begins just moments after death.
Here’s a look behind the scenes at how this is done.
What “Death” Really Means Biologically
Clinical death is defined as the moment when the heart stops beating. It is sometimes potentially survivable with emergency medical resuscitation measures. However, if no such intervention occurs or is unsuccessful, the brain rapidly loses its supply of oxygen and glucose. Once it suffers irreparable damage, typically within approximately 5 to 10 minutes, biological death is irreversible.
It then becomes a race against time to stabilize the body for cryopreservation. Multiple steps must happen very quickly.
1. Legal Pronouncement of Death
Cryopreservation can only begin once death is legally confirmed. A qualified professional — typically a doctor — must determine either that circulation and lung function have irreversibly ceased or that brain death has occurred. This legal declaration marks “time zero” for all subsequent actions.
A trained team then springs into action. Speed is critical to preserve tissue before irreversible decay sets in.
2. Synthetic Circulation
This is a controlled mechanical technique that circulates oxygenated fluid throughout the body to protect organs, especially the brain.
As death occurs, lack of blood flow causes energy failure in cells across the body. In the brain, this can lead to biochemical cascades that permanently damage neurons. By mechanically circulating fluids and delivering protective drugs, teams can temporarily slow the process.
3. Rapid Body Cooling
After or alongside circulation support, the next priority is cooling the body to slow down chemical reactions in the decay process. Lower temperatures dramatically reduce metabolic activity, buying more time. Teams typically use ice baths or specialized wraps to bring the body’s temperature down to below 10° Celsius — synthetic circulation also helps, as it transfers heat loss through the body.
This is similar in principle to therapeutic hypothermia used in some emergency medicine settings. However, here the aim is to prevent molecular decay for decades or longer.
4. Medications to Protect Key Tissues
During the stabilization window, technicians will administer a cocktail of medications. These may include:
- Anticoagulants to prevent blood clots that would block circulation during later procedures.
- Neuroprotective agents to guard brain tissues against chemical damage.
- Other supportive medications to manage pressure and fluid balance.
These drugs are not an attempt to reverse death, but another tool to slow down biochemical deterioration.
5. Transport to the Facility
Once initial stabilization is underway, the next task is to move the deceased to a facility where more advanced preservation procedures can be performed. During transport — whether by ground ambulance, air or a specially equipped vehicle — cooling and circulation continue until the body arrives at a laboratory setting.
6. Cryoprotectant Perfusion — Preventing Ice Damage
Once at the cryonics facility, technicians will replace the body’s fluids with a special cryoprotectant solution. It’s a common misconception that cryopreservation simply “freezes bodies.” Freezing a body without this step would result in severe harm, as ice crystals rupture cell membranes, leading to structural damage.
Instead, a solution of highly concentrated substances, such as dimethyl sulfoxide, sucrose or glycerol, is circulated through the vascular system. This supports a process called vitrification, which turns tissues into a glass-like state without crystallization, and has been shown to help protect brain tissue from freezing damage.
This highly specialized step may take many hours and must be done in carefully controlled conditions to avoid toxicity and achieve uniform solution distribution.
7. Deep Cooling to Cryogenic Temperature
With cryoprotectants in place, the deceased is gradually cooled — typically to around minus 196o Celsius, which is the boiling point of liquid nitrogen. This cooling is applied slowly to reduce mechanical stress.
The end result is a vitrified, biologically suspended body, protected from chemical reactions and decay for as long as the cryogenic environment is maintained.
Long-Term Care With Alcor — The World’s Leading Cryopreservation Experts
Cryopreserved patients remain under the long-term care of their provider. Alcor is a nonprofit research foundation and widely considered the global leader in this field. Founded in 1972 and based in Scottsdale, Arizona, it has performed over 250 cryopreservation procedures. Alcor describes its work as “one of the world’s most ambitious scientific experiments,” and a dedicated patient care trust ensures funding is secured far into the future.
Its pioneering offering includes:
- Professional emergency response
- Advanced vitrification protocols
- Patented cryopreservation technologies
- Organizational longevity
- Financial transparency
- Ongoing research and development
What Sets Alcor Apart
Alcor offers both whole body and brain-only options. Patients are cared for in vacuum-insulated dewars filled with liquid nitrogen. This keeps the environment stable for an indefinite period and does not require electricity to function. Alcor’s world-leading commitment to cryonics research ensures that its members benefit from the latest developments.
A 24/7 rapid response is everything in cryopreservation. Alcor’s elite deployment and recovery teams include Navy SEALs and Special Operations veterans, ICU and critical care nurses and advanced paramedics. This combination of medical expertise plus tactical deployment skills ensures staff can reach members at the critical moment to begin procedures.
Standing the Test of Time
Members at Alcor form a strong community, committed to research and future restoration. When asked who will revive their patients, this shines through in the company’s response. “The plan is not for ‘them’ to revive us. The plan is that we, the Alcor community, will revive ourselves.”
If you’re considering cryopreservation, the provider you choose may be the most consequential decision of your life. As Alcor notes, “Your choice should consider not just an organization’s current capabilities, but the likelihood that [it] will maintain professional standards and continuous operations for decades or centuries.”
Frequently Asked Questions About Cryopreservation
You may have many questions about this fascinating topic. Here are some of the most common.
1. Does cryopreservation guarantee future revival?
No. It’s based on the concept of preserving bodily structure — especially the brain — for future technology breakthroughs that may allow revival. Protocols are designed to maximize biological preservation should such a time occur.
2. Has anyone ever been revived?
No, not yet. However, cryopreservation of embryos is now widely used and highly effective in infertility treatments.
3. What if my body is severely damaged due to my cause of death?
Cryopreservation can preserve badly injured bodies, but it does not repair existing trauma. The hope is that future medical advances may make it possible to both revive and repair.
The Science of Hope
Cryopreservation remains experimental. However, technology is evolving all the time and advanced preservation protocols ensure that as much biological structure is retained as possible. For many, it’s not about guaranteed revival. It’s about giving science a chance to catch up with human dreams. If that resonates with you, contact Alcor to explore membership options and hear about next steps.