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As a physician who has submitted multiple job applications to SpaceX, I would decline space travel if this procedure was a requirement. The TPN requirement alon
by killjoywashere 8y ago
As a physician who has submitted multiple job applications to SpaceX, I would decline space travel if this procedure was a requirement. The TPN requirement alone vastly more risky than just living 4 years of life in a spaceship. Building giant centrifugal units in space for gravity simulation makes more sense.
- jessriedel 8y agoThanks. I had a family member on TPN, and you confirmed my impression from the docs: nutrition is hard and TPN usage is risky, especially for long-term use. It's not like the movies. What are the biggest risks? Or can you point us toward a more comprehensive description?
- killjoywashere 8y agoInfections are the major issue with TPN (you're basically mainlining glucose). Keeping someone sedated for 2 weeks will significantly increased their risk of thromboembolic disease (cooling them also increases the risk of thrombus). The sedation meds are going to be hard on their livers, kidneys, etc. The antibiotics necessary to prevent infections will also be hard on their livers, possibly kidneys. This would all require management by a critical care intensivist (anasthesiologist, pulmonologist, etc), who would escalate problems too ... where? You're taking astronauts and turning them into ICU patients. This seems incredibly bad.