On: Anal oxygen administration may save lives

[evan_]

The latest season of The Expanse featured a character who had been exposed to vacuum revived by an injection of “hyperoxygenated blood” in the arm. This makes me think they just got the method of administration slightly wrong.

In the future spaceship air locks will include a box of emergency oxygen suppositories.

[shkkmo → evan_]

Not at all. It is rather am extension of EMCO tech that exists today that can oxygenate blood externally before it is returned to the body.

[skynet-9000 → shkkmo]

Why don't we do that now instead of ventilating?

[PeterisP → skynet-9000]

ECMO was used for some Covid patients, but the machines are even more rare and the process even more tricky than ventilation.

[ericbarrett → PeterisP]

External blood pumps (which ECMO uses) have issues with both clotting and mechanical damage to the red blood cells, both of which have to be actively managed.

[arch-ninja → evan_]

Obligatory futurama: https://i.pinimg.com/originals/f6/40/e2/f640e25abd05e07442c6...