Today’s topic is about surgery. With larger orbital resorts and longer stay times, it will be important to have a sickbay to care for people with illness or injuries. Everything from cuts and bruises to serious injuries such as burns, radiation exposure and the “bends” from near-depressurization need to be dealt with.
Recently a group of French doctors conducted a successful surgery in a simulated zero gravity environment. They flew in a place that flew in a parabolic arcs to simulate weightlessness.
http://www.space.com/news/ap_060927_zero-g_operate.html
Also, there is discussion of using robots to assist in surgery:
“Robots might allow for delicate surgeries in space, reports the Washington Post.”
http://science.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=05/10/29/2236210&from=rss
“The tiny, wheeled robots, which are about 3 inches tall and as wide as a lipstick case, can be slipped into small incisions and computer-controlled by surgeons in different locations. Some robots are equipped with cameras and lights and can send back images to surgeons. Others have surgical tools attached that can be controlled remotely … Officials hope that next spring, NASA will teach astronauts to use the robots so that surgeries could one day be performed in space. Delays in communication because of the distance to space would mean surgeons on earth would have tell astronauts what commands to give the robots”
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