life-support system

life-support system definition - medical

life-support system

noun
  1. Equipment that creates a viable environment under conditions otherwise incompatible with life.
  2. Medical equipment that augments or substitutes for an essential bodily function, such as respiration or excretion, enabling a patient who otherwise might not survive to live.

The American Heritage® Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

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