The course of human anatomy begins with the definition of the body’s organs and systems that have various functions. All these systems are essential, but some organs are called vital, while others are not vital. This paper aims to name and discuss the purposes of the key vital organs, describe the medical practices of assisting or substituting the vital organs, and define the unconscious state.
Vital and Not Vital Organs
The reproductive organs, sensory organs, and organs of the muscular system are not vital. The organs of digestive, respiratory, urinary, endocrine, circulatory, nervous, and integumentary body systems are vital. The largest vital organ is the skin, and its function is to cool the body or keep it warm (The concise human body book, 2019). There are also sebaceous glands on the skin that maintain elasticity by secreting sebum. The brain is another vital organ that contains consciousness and manages the unconscious functions of the body.
The heart’s main task is to pump oxygen-rich blood and remove oxygen-free blood. The lungs absorb oxygen and enrich the blood with it through the capillaries located in the alveoli, and remove carbon dioxide. Kidney function includes filtering blood from water and salts and producing urine. Besides, the kidneys produce the vital enzyme renin, which is involved in the regulation of blood pressure. The liver produces bile, which is essential for digestion and directs it to the stomach. The liver also cleanses the blood of toxins, regulates sugar levels, turns, stores, releases sugars, releases cholesterol, breaks down fats, and produces blood.
The pancreas produces enzymes necessary for digestion and sends them to the stomach, regulates blood sugar through the production of insulin and glucagon. The stomach breaks down food, mixing it with digestive juices and enzymes, and sends it to the small intestine. In the small intestine, food is digested using enzymes, and nutrients are absorbed into the bloodstream. The colon also participates in digestion, absorbing residual nutrients and water from undigested food, and removes waste and excess fiber. Vital organs are called so because without them, the body cannot function normally, and soon dies. However, there are exceptions – for example, a person can live with one kidney in anticipation of a second kidney transplant.
Assisting and Substituting Vital Organs
When assisting, doctors preserve the original human organ, enhancing or improving its functions, whereas substitution involves the complete replacement of a patient’s organ by a donor organ. In this case, two key questions arise: how beneficial is the choice between assisting and substituting, and how necessary is this choice. When working with donor organs, the interests of all patients standing in line for an organ are taken into account. Today, scientists are also working on creating artificial organs for substitution, such as an artificial heart (Sodhani et al., 2017). However, the functions of such organs are still far from ideal.
Medical Practices
There are medical practices that assist or substitute the vital organs. For example, during dialysis, the device performs the kidneys’ function to remove excess water, dissolved substances, and toxins from the blood (Li & Brown, 2020). The use of respirators or face masks is used as assisting practice, enhancing the cleansing function of the nose. At the same time, a ventilator is a machine that performs the lungs’ function by moving air in and out of the lungs of patients who cannot breathe.
A tracheotomy is a surgical procedure performed by an incision on the front of the neck to open the direct airway through the trachea; it is assisting practice. Finally, CPR or cardiopulmonary resuscitation combines chest compressions with mechanical ventilation. The purpose of this procedure is to preserve intact brain function until additional measures are taken in a person who is in a state of cardiac arrest.
Facing the Reality of Death
In the introduction to Chapter 5 of the book Ethical and religious directives for Catholic health care services, it is said that the Christian faith helps a person to remain steadfast in the face of death. Therefore, Catholic medical institutions support patients and their families who are faced with the reality of death (Ethical and religious directives, 2018). Besides, one of the main goals of medicine when caring for the dying is to alleviate their pain and suffering, as well as artificially provide life functions for an unlimited time.
States of Consciousness
The unconscious state occurs when the ability to maintain awareness of oneself and the environment is lost and involves a lack of response to people and other incentives. Different states of consciousness are an expression of varying levels of awareness. Alertness, daydreaming, drowsiness, and sleep conditions arise spontaneously or can be caused by meditation. An alert person is fully aware of what is happening; during daydreaming, a person is in a state of wakefulness but does not control the thought process. Drowsiness occurs when an individual falls asleep or wakes up and can be achieved through deeper meditation; sleep is an entirely unconscious state. When providing care, any healthcare provider must follow the “no harm” principle (Ulrich et al., 2018). However, there is a debate in medical circles as to when the alleged benefits may be sufficient reason for risky actions that may result in burdens.
Thus, the functions of the key vital organs were discussed, the medical practices of assisting and substituting were described, and states of consciousness were compared. To summarize, all organs are essential, but without some, a person’s life cannot continue. Therefore, there are assisting and substituting medical practices that help diseased organs cope with their functions. Control of body processes occurs through the brain at an unconscious level.
References
Ethical and religious directives for Catholic health care services (6th ed.). (2018). Washington DC: United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.
Li, K. C., & Brown, M. A. (2020). Consenting for dialysis or its alternative: Systematic process is needed. Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology.
Sodhani, D., Reese, S., Moreira, R., Jockenhoevel, S., Mela, P., & Stapleton, S. E. (2017). Multi-scale modeling of textile reinforced artificial tubular aortic heart valves. Meccanica, 52(3), 677-693.
The concise human body book: An illustrated guide to its structure, function, and disorders. (2019) London: Penguin.
Ulrich, C. M., Zhou, Q., Ratcliffe, S. J., Knafl, K., Wallen, G. R., Richmond, T. S., & Grady, C. (2018). Development and preliminary testing of the perceived benefit and burden scales for cancer clinical trial participation. Journal of Empirical Research on Human Research Ethics, 13(3), 230-238.