Life Support Systems

Life Support Systems:

Life support systems are critical pieces of technology designed for the purpose of maintaining life in conditions in which survival would otherwise be impossible. Life support systems are commonly used in medical emergencies, space exploration, and deep-sea exploration, among many others. Through regulating oxygen supply, temperature, and waste, life support systems are able to ensure that humans can breathe, eat, and stay healthy through regulating vital bodily functions. 

Medical Setting Applications:

Ventilators are medical devices that respiratory therapists and doctors use to provide mechanical breathing support in cases of respiratory failure, severe infections of the lung, or certain surgeries requiring anesthesia. These machines deliver oxygen to the patient’s lungs and remove carbon dioxide, which mimics a human’s respiratory system. Medical professionals adjust the settings of the ventilators to ensure that the patient is breathing effectively without further strain to the lungs. Ventilators may be used for long or short termed use. 

Cardiopulmonary Bypass Machines are often used by medical professionals during major heart surgeries to temporarily take over the heart and lung’s bodily functions. This allows doctors to perform surgical operations on a heart while maintaining blood and oxygen circulation. Cardiopulmonary Bypass Machines pumps blood, enabling oxygenation and circulation throughout the body, ensuring the patient’s organs are receiving oxygen rich blood. This machine is currently only used as a temporary life support system in a medical setting.

Feeding Tubes and IVs (intravenous lines) provide the patient with essential nutrients and fluids in times they are unable to consume food. Typically, feeding tubes are used when a patient’s digestive system is able to process and break down food, but is unable to receive these nutrients by mouth. Intravenous lines are used when a patient’s digestive system is unable to take in food but still require immediate hydration/nutrients. 

In a medical setting, life support systems are essential in keeping critically ill and injured patients alive. Life support systems are far more than your day to day machines; they serve as the last life line to many ill and injured patients, offering them a fighting chance. These solutions require serious monitoring by healthcare professionals, as the industry continues to address critical healthcare issues in the future.

References

professional, Cleveland Clinic medical. “What Is Cardiopulmonary Bypass?” Cleveland Clinic, 1 May 2024, my.clevelandclinic.org/health/treatments/24106-cardiopulmonary-bypass. 

“What Is a Ventilator?” National Heart Lung and Blood Institute, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/ventilator. Accessed 22 Sept. 2024.

professional, Cleveland Clinic medical. “What Is Tube Feeding (Enteral Nutrition)?” Cleveland Clinic, 1 May 2024, my.clevelandclinic.org/health/treatments/21098-tube-feeding--enteral-nutrition. 

Phillips G. D. (1977). Life support systems in intensive care: a review of history, ethics, cost, benefit and rational use. Anaesthesia and intensive care, 5(3), 251–257. https://doi.org/10.1177/0310057X7700500313