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This is how to do surgery in space:
Surgical emergencies are in fact one of the main challenges when it comes to human space travel. But over the last few years, space medicine researchers have come up with a number of ideas that could help, from surgical robots to 3D printers.
[...] As well as distance, the extreme environment faced during transit to and on Mars includes microgravity, high radiation levels and an enclosed pressurised cabin or suit. This is tough on astronauts’ bodies and takes time getting used to.
[...] For a crew of seven people, researchers estimate that there will be an average of one surgical emergency every 2.4 years during a Mars mission. The main causes include injury, appendicitis, gallbladder inflammation or cancer. Astronauts are screened extensively when they are selected, but surgical emergencies can occur in healthy people and may be exacerbated in the extreme environment of space.
[...] One problem was that, during open surgery, the intestines would float around, obscuring the view of the surgical field. To deal with this, space travellers should opt for minimally invasive surgical techniques, such as keyhole surgery, ideally occurring within patients’ internal cavities through small incisions using a camera and instruments.
[...] Bodily fluids will also behave differently in space and on Mars. The blood in our veins may stick to instruments because of surface tension. Floating droplets may also form streams that could restrict the surgeon’s view, which is not ideal. The circulating air of an enclosed cabin may also be an infection risk. Surgical bubbles and blood-repelling surgical tools could be the solution.
Researchers have already developed and tested various surgical enclosures in microgravity environments. For example, Nasa evaluated a closed system comprising a surgical clear plastic overhead canopy with arm ports, aiming to prevent contamination.
(Score: 0, Funny) by Runaway1956 on Friday July 24 2020, @07:40AM (3 children)
Why not just freeze-dry the patient, and send him/her back to earth for surgery? Wasn't cryogenics supposed to solve all kinds of problems for us?
Hail to the Nibbler in Chief.
(Score: 2, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Friday July 24 2020, @08:01AM
a) Turns out it doesn't
b) Sending back doesn't work so well at most times, cf. Orbital Mechanics 101, 102 and 203
c) A living, working astronaut is needed ASAP, not with a typical turnaround delay of 1-4 years (Orbital Mechanics, again, sorry 'bout that, unless there's a fusion drive that came along with the cryogenics)
(Score: -1, Flamebait) by Anonymous Coward on Friday July 24 2020, @08:17AM
My Gawd! Runaway is stupid enough for terrestrial stuff, but take him off the surface and his idiocy, and ignorance, is multiplied manifold! Shut the fuck up about that which you know nothing, you fricking hillbilly truck-driving moron! Please?
(Score: 3, Interesting) by Freeman on Friday July 24 2020, @04:17PM
Yeah, Walt Disney was supposedly interested in Cryogenic freezing too.
https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/54196/disney-ice-truth-about-walt-disney-and-cryogenics [mentalfloss.com]
Joshua 1:9 "Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee"
(Score: 3, Informative) by Muad'Dave on Friday July 24 2020, @11:15AM (2 children)
When in doubt, rip it out. That's always been my mantra on matters surgical. Neither the appendix nor gallbladder are required equipment; rip 'em out preemptively on deep space astronauts.
(Score: 2, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Friday July 24 2020, @01:51PM (1 child)
I'm with you on the appendix, but the gallbladder? One can certainly argue that there is little to no difference between an individual with appendix and one lacking it. AFAICR, there /is/ such a difference between individuals with and without gallbladder (consider at least https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gallbladder#Gallbladder_removal [wikipedia.org] ).
(Score: 2) by ElizabethGreene on Friday July 24 2020, @04:50PM
Your gallbladder has a useful function. The very serious risk of permanent untreatable IBS and dumping syndrome are not to be ignored.
(Score: 2) by looorg on Friday July 24 2020, @11:36AM
It just didn't out very well for Kane ...
(Score: 1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Friday July 24 2020, @01:52PM
Get used to spinning those spaceships.
If Starship is supposed to go to Mars, then they should go in pairs, connected nose to nose by a tether. Then they can mutually rotate around the center of mass. It could be two manned ships traveling together, or one crew and one cargo version.
As a side benefit, the orientation of the gravity would be the same as the orientation of the ship sitting on the ground. People aren't going to Mars to stay for three days. They're going to have to live in the ship for months on Mars. So you want gravity pointing in the right direction.
(Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Friday July 24 2020, @05:03PM
Minimally invasive surgery is preferable on earth too. Intestines move already, so they are paralyzed during surgery. They also don't have *that* much freedom of motion to be in the way more than on earth, where they may have to be held out of the way.
Fluids, otoh, wanting to emerge from the wound, sound like a more interesting issue.