"Out of interest what does such a machine do if it can't "assist with diagosis" or "recognises" a situation where it has reached the limit of the life support it can provide."
(My better half has worked in A&E, so I think I know the answer)
But what if the accuracy and reliability of the machine wasn't up to the job, and simply didn't raise the alarm?
The point being that we have developed those machines to the point they are very accurate, very reliable and can be left to monitor a patient without human intervention.
CT scanners are used everyday to help diagnose conditions, and surgeons make decisions based on the data they provide. Again, if the machine wasn't there a lot more exploratory surgery would be carried out, or people would simply die through lack of diagnosis (brain tumours for example - hard to carry out exploratory surgery in the skull!).
Last edited by glum; 27th September 2012 at 12:40.