Medical care aboard NASA´s space station: a systems approach to critical care monitoring

Existing US earth-based and planned space-station-based systems for medical critical care monitoring, diagnosis and communication are discussed. As an example of a medical condition that could be encountered at the space station, major trauma is considered, as an accident victim who survives immediate serious injury could represent a worst case for both Earth- and space-based care. The design of a space station medical care system is discussed.<>