Alcor’s 1990 transport manual, written by Michael Darwin, was a landmark in the evolution of procedures for human cryopreservation. This manual incorporated everything that had been learned during the 1980s, when Leaf and Darwin developed the concept of a bedside standby and performed research to validate a washout solution that was formulated to provide metabolic support and postpone cell death. A slightly modified form of this washout solution is still used by Alcor to protect the human brain during transport of cryopatients to Alcor’s facility.

Although Alcor’s procedures have continued to evolve, the 1990 manual established and explained basic principles which are as relevant now as they were then.

The manual was originally created with older software that was not capable of importing illustrations. Illustrations were literally pasted onto the laser-printed pages, and copies were reproduced on a photocopy machine. Consequently the typesetting is not up to contemporary standards, and gray tones in the photographs have been lost. The PDF files presented here were made by scanning pages from a copy of the manual.

Although there are three gaps in the page numbering, all evidence suggests that no pages are missing, and the numbering itself was inconsistent.

The addendum to this document was dated 1992, and includes some revisions of the medication protocol together with an abbreviated guide to emergency response.

DISCLAIMER: This manual is provided for general orientation and historical reference only. Some of the techniques and medications described are outdated and have since been replaced by better equipment and methods.

The manual is available here as individual chapters in PDF format:

Cover pages and acknowledgements
Chapter 1 – Introduction
Chapter 2 – General Instructions and Administrative Procedures
Chapter 3 – Assessment, Planning, and Gaining Cooperation
Chapter 4 – Options for Cardiopulmonary Support
Chapter 5 – Cardiopulmonary Support: Evaluation and Intervention
Chapter 6 – The Heart-Lung Resuscitator (HLR)
Chapter 6A – The Michigan Instruments Heart-Lung Resuscitator (HLR)
Chapter 7 – Placement of Temperature Probes
Chapter 8 – External Cooling
Chapter 9 – Establishing Intravenous Access
Chapter 10 – Preparation of Medications for Intravenous Administration
Chapter 11 – Transport Medications: Pharmacology and Administration
Chapter 12 – Administration of Medication through the Gastric Tube
Chapter 13 – Collection of Blood Samples
Chapter 14 – Shipment of the Patient
Glossary
Appendix A – Metric Conversions
Appendix B – Basic Anatomy and Topography of the Body
Emergency Instructions for Stabilization of Alcor Cryonic Suspension Patients