Evangelion Inspires a Strange New Life-Saving Medical Treatment

Over the decades, all sorts of scientific and medical discoveries have been named after pop culture legends, and anime has inspired its fair share. From Pokemon to Naruto and beyond, you can find the franchises in actual biology texts. Now, it seems Neon Genesis Evangelion is joining the gang, and the anime inspired a strange live-saving technique for COVID-19 patients.

As reported by Sora News 24, the whole ordeal began in light of the pandemic. The advent of COVID-19 created a mass shortage of ventilators and oxygen in some areas. That is why the Tokyo Medical and Dental University got to work, and they found a way to deliver oxygen enemas with help from loaches and Evangelion.

Research began after medical professionals began to look at loaches and their ability to absorb oxygen through their posterior intestine. The fish are able to absorb efficient oxygen through their posteriors to supplement deficiencies may they be situational or environmental. That is why doctors set out to find whether humans could absorb oxygen similarly after being administered oxygen anally if they were hypoxic.

Tests began as the research went on, and the technique was dubbed EVA which stands for enteral ventilation via the anus. The name was chosen by doctors because of the Evangelion series. This is because pilots breathe a very oxygenated liquid when piloting their Eva Units, so you can see where the connection stands here.

According to the research done in Tokyo, test subjects were given a mixture of gaseous and liquid oxygen, and their conditions improved with no signs of side effects. At this point, human testing has yet to begin, but the theory has become a major point of discussion for respiratory therapists. In the time of COVID-19, oxygenation has become more vital than ever for those sick with the virus, and this technique could one day save untold lives should they be low on oxygen.

What do you think of this little report? Did you ever expect to see Evangelion pop into a headline like this? Share your thoughts with us in the comments section below or hit me up on Twitter @MeganPetersCB.