What happens if astronauts get sick in space?
CNNStory highlights CPR and life-saving medical procedures are incredibly difficult in zero gravity Astronauts on long-term deep-space missions may rely on telemedicine CNN — Doctors can’t make house calls to the International Space Station, but even if they could, Earth’s routine practices like setting up an IV, taking a blood sample or even keeping a wound clean are incredibly difficult. “You can lose about a percent of bone mass every month, and that’s the typical situation astronauts are in,” astronaut Mark Kelly said. We’d probably just become big bags of meat.” Complex medical procedures haven’t taken place on shuttle missions or the space station yet. The future of medicine in space Looking at how emergency medical procedures are carried out in these extreme environments can also help decide what medical equipment would be the most useful, the qualifications for any chief medical officers on board and even the types of conditions they may encounter, said Dr. Matthieu Komorowski, consultant in intensive care and anesthesia at Charing Cross Hospital in London.
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