Accidents

Accidents, especially motor vehicle accidents, are a leading cause of death at all ages. Although an accident is not itself a disease, it kills by producing damage to the body, and that damage can be treated or prevented like any other disease. Most accidents involve mechanical injury (trauma); most of the rest involve chemical injury, either poisoning or oxygen starvation. A permanent nanobot installation can make many accidents survivable that would be fatal today.

Nanobots embedded in tissue can strengthen it against tearing, or repair it if it does tear. It is common for a blow to the head to rattle the brain against the skull; a specially shaped nano-built device could cushion the brain, preventing this damage. Other devices could vacuum up common poisons before they could cause damage, or barricade poisoned areas to keep the poison from spreading through the body. Respirocytes could allow the body to function normally for several minutes without breathing or circulation, giving more opportunity to restore normal functioning. In cases of extreme injury, heterostasis could be used to stabilize the body until help can arrive. As long as the brain is not physically damaged, it can be functionally separated from the body and forced into a low-power state. With today's medicine, paramedics refer to the "golden hour": if an accident victim can be brought to a hospital in less than an hour, chance of survival is greatly increased. People have recovered after drowning in cold water for over an hour; artificial mimicry of this state, combined with the ability to aggressively repair the body, might extend the "golden hour" significantly.