Guide to Medical

=A Guide to Medical=

THIS IS VERY MUCH A WORK IN PROGRESS, PLEASE REFER TO THE "Guide to Medicine" FOR THE MOMENT.

So you want to be a doctor? Well there's a few things you should know about working in the medical department first!

This guide will cover everything regarding basic medical procedures, for surgery or cloning see the Guide to Surgery or Guide to Genetics

Tools of the Trade

There's a plethora of equipment available to any aspiring doctor, most of which can be found in the NanoMed dispenser.

• - A pair of latex gloves, lowers infection chances when performing surgery and handling patients.
• - A sterile mask, lowers infection chances when performing surgery and provides mild protection against airborne viruses.
• - A medical belt, it can store almost any small medical item such as trauma kits, syringes, or beakers.
• - A standard issue medical HUD. This will allow you to immediately infer how injured someone is.
• - An advanced trauma kit, used for any form of physical injury.
• - A burn kit that can double as a trauma kit in a pinch, specialized for burns.
• - The bread and butter of the medbay, gives detailed information on injuries. It's suggested you also get the upgrade at the NanoMed.
• - A syringe, or sharp. Can take blood samples, or be filled with reagents and used manually or fired by a syringe gun.
• - A roller bed, used for moving patients with broken bones to prevent further injury.
• - A set of medical splints, can be used on on broken limbs to prevent further injury.
• File:Stasisbag.png - A stasis bag, it will immediately stabilize any person as long as they're in the bag. Can also be ID-locked.
• File:Defrib.png - A defibrillator, used for reviving recently deceased patients.
• File:Crewmonitor.png - A handheld version of the crew monitor computer, lets you see everyone's suit sensors on the fly.

A Breakdown of Basic Chemicals

Whilst working in the medbay there is a wide variety of chemicals you might encounter.

While this doesn't cover nearly all the chemicals, it's a good primer on chems you'll frequently encounter and need.

• Charcoal - Charcoal slowly purges all other reagents from the bloodstream, and also heals toxin damage.
• Salbutamol - Salbutamol slowly fixes oxygen damage, and will temporarily halt oxyloss.
• File:Salycylicpill.png Salicylic Acid - Salicylic Acid slowly heals brute injuries, but only if the patient has less than 50 brute damage.
• Styptic Powder - Styptic Powder will heal any brute injuries, it's toxic if it's not in patch form.
• Silver Sulfidiazine - Silver Sulfidiazine will heal any burn injuries, it's toxic if it's not in patch form.
• Synthflesh - Synthflesh can be used to treat both brute and burn injuries.
• Epinephrine - Present in all autoinjectors. Stabilizes critical patients and slowly heals them.
• Ether - Ether will eventually knock a person out - typically only effective in doses above 30u.
• Morphine - Morphine will allow a patient to temporarily ignore pain, but can also induce unconsciousness.
• Mannitol - Mannitol is used for brain damage, most often for the recently cloned.
• Mutadone - Mutadone will cure almost all genetic defects, as well as powers.
• Cryoxadone - Cryoxadone is used in cryotubes, and heals toxin, oxygen, brute and burn damage.
• Perfluodecalin - Perfluodecalin will rapidly heal oxygen damage and oxyloss, but will also temporarily mute the patient.
• Pentetic Acid - Pentetic Acid rapidly purges all chemicals, and quickly heals toxins damage while dealing minor brute and burn damage.
• Mitocholide - Mitocholide heals damage to internal organs, and can even fix ruptured lungs. Works very slowly.
• Oculine - Repairs eye damage, unless retinal detachment is present or it's genetic.

Damage Types and Basic Treatments

Most damage will fall under four major categories: Suffocation, Toxin, Brute, and Burn. These will show up on the Health Analyzer and in low amounts are very easily treated. There are also treatment kits for each of these categories located within medical storage.

Suffocation Damage

This shows up as a BLUE number on the Health Analyzer and Crew Monitoring Console

Suffocation results from being in areas with low oxygen, low blood count, or from the patient being in a critcal state.

• If damage comes from being in a low-oxygen environment, internals or being in an oxygen safe place will slowly heal the patient.
• Salbutamol or Perfluorodecalin will heal the damage. Perfluorodecalin is much more effective but will temporarily mute the patient.
• Epinephrine will slow progress of suffocation damage in critcal patients.
• CPR will also slow progress of suffocation in critical patients. (On help intent, click on the patient with nothing in your hands to administer CPR).

Toxin Damage

This shows up as a GREEN number on the Health Analyzer and Crew Monitoring Console

Toxin damage sometimes causes vomiting. Getting a blood sample of the patient with a syringe and using a Mass Spectrometer will reveal what toxins are located in the patient's blood. Radiation will also cause Toxin damage.

• Administer Charcoal.
• Monitor the patient's vitals for any changes. Some poisons are tricky and stay in the system for a long period of time.
• In extreme cases, put patient into cryosleep. Less effective than charcoal, but only way to treat critical patients.

Brute Damage File:Brutekit.png

This shows up as a RED number on the Health Analyzer and Crew Monitoring Console

Brute damage is caused by anything that can beat up a person, cut them, or fill them full of lead. It is often paired with broken bones and internal bleeding.

• Locate the injuries using a Health Analyzer.
  
• Apply Gauze.
  
• More extreme injuries, or brute damage located in multiple areas, will require the administration of Styptic Powder. Always bandage locations that show up as bleeding to prevent blood loss.
• Robotic limbs damage cannot be treated by the standard equipment located in Medbay. Those patients should be sent to the Roboticist for repairs.

Burn Damage File:Firekit.png

This shows up as a ORANGE number on the Health Analyzer and Crew Monitoring Console

Burn damage can result from fire, electrocution, energy weapons, or exposure to extreme cold.

• Locate the injuries using a Health Analyzer.
  
• Apply Ointment.
  
• More extreme injuries, or burns to multiple places of the body will require either Silver Sulfadiazine or Synthflesh medication.
  
• Synthflesh is the stronger medication and will also heal Brute damage.
• Robotic limbs damage cannot be treated by the standard equipment located in Medbay. Those patients should be sent to the Roboticist for repairs.

Unlisted Damage

Some damage does not show up in any category, but will show that the person is injured

Creatures in the Research and Development location can cause genetics damage when attacking people. Being a new clone can also come with genetics damage, or heavy experimentation with genetics can cause this as well. Fighting on the holodeck will result in holo-damage. Hallucinations brought on by drug use or genetic defects will cause unlisted damage as well.

• Attempt to confirm how injury was received.
• Genetics damage is easily healed with time spent in a cryo chamber.
• Holo-damage is cured by having the patient sleep it off.
• For hallucination damage, treat cause of damage, (a clean SE shot from a geneticist, or charcoal if it's a chemical), and then let patient sleep it off as you would with holo-damage. Sedating the patient for their own safety is highly suggested.