Definition
Life support refers to a spectrum of techniques, devices, or technology used to maintain life after the failure of one or more vital organs.
Preexisting Condition
A patient requires life support when one or more vital organs fail, due to causes such as trauma, infection, cancer, heart attack, or chronic disease. Among the purposes of life support are to:
Establish and maintain the ABCs of resuscitation – airway, breathing, and circulation.
Restore the patient’s homeostasis – the internal chemical and physical balance of the body.
Protect the patient from complications of the underlying disease and its treatment.
Contraindications to life support would be patient preference as outlined in a DNR or “do-not-resuscitate” order previously actuated by the...
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References
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Recommended Reading
[ACS/DMEP] American College of Surgeons/Disaster Management and Emergency Preparedness. http://facs.org/trauma/disaster/index.html. Accessed 6 Aug 2012
[ACS] American College of Surgeons. History of the ATLS program. http://facs.org/trauma/atls/history.html. Accessed 6 Aug 2012
[AHA Guidelines] Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA) and CPR Fast Facts. http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/CPRAndECC/WhatisCPR/CPRFactsandStats/CPR-Statistics_UCM_307542_Article.jsp. American Heart Association Guidelines 2012. www.americanheart.org. Accessed 6 Aug 2012
[AHA, History] American Heart Association. Highlights of the History of Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR). http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/CPRAndECC/WhatisCPR/CPRFactsandStats/History-of-CPR_UCM_307549_Article.jsp
American Heart Association (2006). www.americanheart.org. Accessed 6 Aug 2012
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[ENA] Emergency Nurses Association: Philosophy of Trauma Nursing Core Course. http://www.ena.org/coursesandeducation/ENPC-TNCC/tncc/Pages/aboutcourse.aspx. Accessed 6 Aug 2012
[SCCM/FDM] Society of Critical Care Medicine/Fundamentals of Disaster Management Course Purpose. http://www.sccm.org/FCCS_and_Training_Courses/FDM/Pages/default.aspx. Accessed 6 Aug 2012
[SCCM/PCCS] Society of Critical Care Medicine/Pediatric Critical Care Support. Pediatric Fundamentals of Critical Care Course Purpose. http://www.sccm.org/FCCS_and_Training_Courses/PFCCS/Pages/default.aspx. Accessed 6 Aug 2012
[SCCM] Society of Critical Care Medicine: Fundamentals of Critical Care Support Course Purpose. http://www.sccm.org/FCCS_and_Training_Courses/FCCS/Pages/default.aspx. Accessed 6 Aug 2012
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Gaines, C.L. (2015). Life Support Training. In: Papadakos, P.J., Gestring, M.L. (eds) Encyclopedia of Trauma Care. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-29613-0_347
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