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Power failure kills woman who spent 50 years in iron lung
I never took care of anyone who was in an iron lung, but I did see one in action on a patient at UVa many years ago. The main thing I remember was that the huge piston which provided the actual pressure gradient to cause ventilation. As I recall, the vent sheets were different because [...]
David Blaine and Apnea
The David Blaine holding-his-breath stunt is pretty amazing, and rather scary. It looks like he pulled it off with rigorous training, and lots of medical supervision. Time has a good wrap up in How David Blaine Held His Breath:
With or without pure oxygen, holding your breath is a difficult and dangerous pasttime even for elite [...]