A life supported

In the bed alongside us lay her son, purposefully yet peacefully being supported by a bank of equipment and array of infusions, allowing his brain the opportunity to gradually repair itself after a very serious traumatic injury.

The environment is familiar but the gravity this young mans’ complete reliance on the technology and medicines at hand unsettles me in a way I wasn’t expecting. Over the last decade I’ve spent a fair amount of time in ICUs and have worked on various pumps, monitors, sensors and therapy delivery systems. I’m fortunate enough to understand much of what goes on and it’s not the first time I’ve seen people I know and love in the ICU. However I’m struck, as never before, just how utterly dependent this young man’s life is on these products and drugs which our industry has developed and provides. Without them he wouldn’t still be here, without them his family wouldn’t have this time and this hope.

It’s good to remind ourselves that the results of our long development programmes, laborious testing, costly trials and frustrating approvals processes are an enlarged and improved suite of therapies and products which save lives and provide hope.

What we do is really worthwhile. I like that.