List of Starfleet Equipment
Alpha-wave
inducer:
Device, worn on the forehead, which induces variable levels of unconsciousness,
from sleep to complete anesthesia. The effect wears off approximately 15
minutes after the device is deactivated. Alpha-wave induction is a good
alternative to drug-induced general anesthesia in surgical patients who cannot
tolerate other anesthetics.
Autosuture: Instrument used
to close open wounds. (20th-century equivalent: Absorbable sutures
or surgical staples.)
Biobed: Orthopedically
designed hospital bed, standard in Sickbay; the biobed integrates gas and fluid
connection ports and high-level monitoring systems, providing the full range of
diagnostic and monitoring functions. Data collected from the biobed can
be routed to tricorders, wall monitors, or the medical database to aid in
diagnosis and treatment. The biobed is also designed to interface with
other medical equipment, such as an SSF. (20th-century equivalent:
ICU bed with telemetry monitor.)
Bi-spectral monitor: Device used to
assess a patient’s level of consciousness. Commonly used when
administering anesthetic agents during surgery, or in the management of
patients with altered central nervous system (CNS) function.
Cardiostimulator: Medical instrument
used in basic life-support, used to resuscitate a patient suffering from a
cardiac arrest. The cardiostimulator includes cardioversion and pacing
functions, is found in every basic medical kit, and can be used by a person
with little or no medical training. (20th-century equivalent: Automated
external defibrillator.)
Cortical stimulator: Device used to
stimulate CNS function in unconscious or comatose patients.
Dermal regenerator: Hand-held device which
promotes the rapid growth of skin. The device will promote a chemical balance
that supports the growth of normal skin tissue over scar tissue. Wounds of up
to moderate severity can be healed through a dermal regenerator, but use of the
device must take into account foreign material in the wound site, depth of the
wound, type of tissue, and several other factors. Except for minor wounds,
dermal regeneration often serves only as a stopgap measure; the most critical
wounds usually require hospitalization.
Detronal scanner: Medical
instrument that reads DNA patterns from a tissue sample.
Electrophoretic dialysis
unit: A
blood filtration device that can remove, with great specificity, harmful
chemicals and foreign substances from a patient’s bloodstream. The device
can also be used to remove nanoprobes from a previously Borg-enhanced
patient. (20th-century equivalent: Dialysis machine.)
Emergency Medical
Hologram (EMH): The EMH is a computerized, holographically manifested
“doctor,” programmed with a full range of clinical expertise (over 2,000
medical references and the clinical experience of 47 leading physicians are
incorporated into the EMH matrix) as well as adaptive learning processes, that
can assist shipboard medical staff with nearly any medical problem. For more
information on the EMH, see the section “Emergency Medical Hologram” in the Appendix.
Fiber-optic laryngoscope: Device
consisting of a flexible fiber-optic viewing lens and guidance controls,
allowing for easy endotracheal intubation in resuscitation efforts.
Genetronic replicator: An experimental
medical device used to translate genetic codes into a specific set of
replication instructions, from which a replacement organ may be
synthesized.
N.B.
Starfleet Medical has enacted a moratorium on the use of this system until its
safety and efficacy can be better tested.
Hyperencephalogram: Test for
measuring and recording brain-wave activity. (20th-century
equivalent: Electroencephalogram, or EEG.)
Hypospray: Medical instrument
used to inject medications intravenously, intramuscularly or subcutaneously, by
employing a high-pressure, pinpoint aerosuspension stream. This delivery
method results in “painless” administration, without the need for a
needle. The size and depth of the injection site may be varied; a fine,
concentrated stream is used for IV or IM injections, whereas a wide dispersal
pattern with low penetration is used for an SC injection. Vials containing
different medications are interchangeable and are snapped onto the bottom of
the unit; a hypospray and a basic selection of medications can be found in
every basic medical kit. (20th-century equivalent: Hypodermic
needle/syringe.)
Infusion port: Device for
continuous intravenous (IV) delivery of fluids and medications. The
infusion port is attached to bare skin and painlessly creates a sterile
indwelling catheter through the skin and into a blood vessel, allowing delivery
of all types of medication into the systemic circulation. Infusion ports
come in multiple sizes, from 30-gauge (extremely small, for pediatrics and
species with small vessels) to 10-gauge (extremely large, wide-bore line for
trauma resuscitations on large species). Each biobed has two 18-gauge
standard lines, with attachment points for up to four. (20th-century
equivalent: IV.)
(Plasma) Infusion unit: Medical system
that dispenses fluids and medications intravenously. Infusion units are
standard within the surgical support frame (SSF). (20th-century
equivalent: IV infusion pump.)
Mask ventilator: Device used in
basic life-support, consisting of a rebreather mask attached to a
positive-pressure oxygen cylinder. A mask ventilator is used to
resuscitate a patient suffering from respiratory arrest, and can be found in
every basic medical kit.
Medical tricorder: A medical sensor
and analysis device, the medical tricorder is a combination of a standard
tricorder with an added medical peripheral device (MP), a small hand-held
scanner. The MP utilizes a total of 96 high-resolution sensors, giving
analysis of a wide range of biological functions, as well as some imaging
studies; when coupled with data from shipboard computers, the medical tricorder
can also provide a partial list of differential diagnoses. Most medical
tricorders are outfitted with a standard MP; specialized MPs exist for certain
tasks, such as neurological MPs for neurological examination, cytological MPs
for infectious diseases, etc. These can be easily exchanged between
units. The medical tricorder allows mobile interaction between a medical
officer and the shipboard computing systems (i.e. the Starfleet Medical
database), and provides a storage facility for medical data.
Motor assist bands: External neural
transducers worn as a harness or a brace on a patient’s limbs; when connected
to an interface unit worn on the back of the neck, these allow the transmission
of nervous impulses to bypass damaged nerves. Motor assist bands serve
the same function as implantable neural transducers, but are designed for
short-term use as an aid to rehabilitation for patients with motor deficits.
Nanites: Submicroscopic
machines that can be programmed to perform specific tasks in the body at the
cellular level, such as removing arterial plaques or performing “surgery” to
destroy cancerous cells before they can form a tumor. Nanites are
injected into the body via a central vein, and can be controlled by the surgeon
using a special frequency emitter.
Neural imaging scan: Test that
provides detailed information about a patient’s central nervous system
function. (20th-century equivalent: MRI or PET scan.)
Neural stimulator: An instrument
used to “jumpstart” neural activity in the central nervous system.
Equivalent to cardioversion for the CNS.
Neural transducers: Implantable
bioelectric devices that receive nerve impulses from the brain and transmit
them to voluntary muscle groups, bypassing damaged nerves. These allow the
paralyzed patient some activity.
Neurolink: Medical device
for emergency stabilization of patients with brainstem injuries. Matching
neural pads are placed on the patient and a healthy individual of the same
species, enabling a link to be established from the healthy person's autonomic
nervous system to that of the injured patient.
N.B.
Neurolinks can also be established between a healthy patient and a ship’s
computer; this is an effective temporary method for allowing an otherwise mute
patient to speak, using the computer’s translation and voice-synthesis
functions.
Ocular implant: Artificial eye used to replace a damaged or
nonfunctional natural eye. The ocular implant consists of three major
components - a variable-focus anterior segment, a thin sheet of photoreceptors,
and an optic nerve implant - contained within a plastic scleral shell.
The anterior segment replaces the natural cornea and lens, and is filled with
an optically clear mimetic gel that allows accommodation (change in focus for
near and distance vision). The photoreceptor layer can be customized for
the patient's needs; a standard unit receives impulses through the visible
light spectrum, although infrared and ultraviolet capability is
available. Ocular implants offer a range of vision similar to that of a
natural eye, offer full range of motion via myoneural connection to the existing
extraocular muscles, and are cosmetically identical to the
original.
Osteoregenerator: Device used to
knit ends of broken bones together by stimulating osteoblast aggregation at the
fracture site. Osteoregenerators cannot totally heal bone fractures, but
they can greatly speed the healing process.
Protoplaser: Surgical device
used to repair tissue damage inside the body. Protoplasers provide
instantaneous hemostasis (control of bleeding from damaged vessels) and removal
of damaged tissue. Protoplasers come in two forms, for open and
laparoscopic surgery. (20th-century equivalent: Electrocautery pen,
or argon beam coagulator.)
Pulmonary scanner: Medical device
used to monitor pulmonary function, blood chemistry and blood gas
content. (20th-century equivalent: Pulse oximeter.)
Scalpels: There are
several different types of scalpels, or surgical knives, used in Starfleet
Sickbays. Monomolecular scalpels are standard scalpels with blades
precision-honed to an edge thickness of only one molecule; this exceptionally
sharp edge allows the surgeon to cut through almost any tissue while minimizing
tissue damage. Laser scalpels use a laser beam to cut and cauterize (stop
bleeding) tissue simultaneously, eliminating the need for further hemostasis
measures. Specialized scalpels also exist for certain procedures, such as
sonic scalpels and drechtal beams for precision separation of nervous tissues
in neurosurgery, force-blade saws for quick and effortless orthopedic surgery,
and so forth.
Stasis unit: Emergency
medical device that holds the patient in a state of suspended animation until a
medical treatment can be implemented.
Surgical support frame
(SSF):
“Clamshell” frame that fits over a standard biobed; the SSF integrates sterile field
generators, medical fluid and gas ports, high-intensity lighting and
magnification units, surgical tractors, and anesthesia systems into one modular
unit. A typical SSF has a Mark IV sterile field generator, capable of
maintaining a level-5 field; dedicated ports for oxygen, suction, and normal
saline, with three variable-use ports (two fluid, one gas); flat-panel,
full-field lighting systems with up to 25X magnification capability; five sizes
of built-in surgical tractors, with docking points for up to 4 additional
units; automated bi-spectral monitoring and delivery systems for both volatile
(inhaled) and injection anesthetic agents; and connection points for up to 10
additional surgical tools or systems.
Surgical tractors: Devices used to hold
the edges of an incision open or move organs out of the operative field during
surgery. Tractors of various sizes for most common surgical procedures
are integrated into the SSF; specialized tractors, such as large osteotractors
for orthopedic surgery or very small tractors for eye and ear surgery, exist as
self-contained units.
T-cell stimulator: Device that
increases the production of T cells, a type of lymphocyte that enables humanoid
bodies to fight infection. T-cell stimulation is useful in cases of immune
deficiency.
Transporter biofilter: Sub-system of
the transporter system that scans incoming transporter patterns prior to
materialization; it detects harmful pathogens and allows for a return of the
organism to the transport site, or scattering into space.
VISOR: Acronym for
Visual Instrument/Sensory Organ Replacement. The VISOR is a device worn
over the eyes that allows a profoundly blind patient to see by direct
stimulation of the optic tract, bypassing damaged structures further
forward. Typically VISORs are used with patients with various forms of
retinopathy, optic neuropathy or cortical blindness. The system works by
means of a pair of neural implants that connect to the optic chiasm (the nerve
plexus in the brain that coordinates impulses from the optic nerves and sends
them to the occipital lobe for visual processing). The VISOR receives
input from the visible light spectrum as well as the ultraviolet and infrared
regions. (Note that a normally-sighted patient cannot "borrow"
a blind patient's VISOR to give himself super vision; the VISOR's output looks
like a random display of colors to the normal eye.) VISORs are not often
used in modern practice; the current standard of care is to replace the damaged
eye(s) with an ocular implant, a bioengineered artificial eye.