Tag: Life support

Critically ill patients on Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO) are often underfed, with studies showing mean daily calorie delivery can be significantly below calculated requirements. This highlights the complex dual challenge of determining what are the energy needs for ECMO, encompassing both the patient's metabolic demands and the machine's substantial electrical power consumption.

Since the 1960s, space agencies have been exploring the use of microalgae to sustain human life beyond Earth, with the Soviet Union testing *Chlorella* in early spaceflights. But which algae is eaten by astronauts, and why are these microscopic organisms so critical for long-duration missions? Primarily, two species stand out for their nutritional and life-sustaining properties: Spirulina and Chlorella.

Experts estimate that in the absence of any intervention, a person can only survive for 8 to 21 days without food, provided they are receiving water. For a person in a coma, the specific answer to how long can a person in a coma live without food depends heavily on whether medical professionals are providing nourishment and other life support.

According to the American Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition, providing artificially administered nutrition is a medical intervention that requires ethical consideration. The question, **'Is TPN considered life support?'**, does not have a simple 'yes' or 'no' answer, and its classification is dependent on the clinical context, patient prognosis, and specific goals of care.

For centuries, cultures like the Aztecs consumed spirulina for its nutritional properties. The answer to "Which brand of spirulina does NASA use?" reveals that the agency focuses on specific, research-grade strains, such as *Spirulina platensis* and *Spirulina maxima*, for astronaut health and life support research rather than a single commercial product.