Star Trek helps scientists look into 24th century heart health

NEW YORK: Austrian researchers have studied episodes of television show Star Trek to see if the sci-fi series could help predict the treatment and outcomes of heart problems in the 24th century.

Researchers found that people in the 24th century will live much more healthily than people do today, because they may have fewer heart problems related to a bad diet.

The researchers at the Medical University of Vienna analysed 526 episodes of "Star Trek: The Next Generation," "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine" and "Star Trek: Voyager," looking for portrayals of cardiac arrest, a condition in which the heart suddenly stops beating properly, preventing blood from circulating.

The researchers documented 96 cardiac arrests on the show, and around 90 per cent were fatal, 'Live Science' reported.

The most common cause of a cardiac arrest on Star Trek was trauma, such as severe physical injury, and injury from "energy weapons". In contrast, most cardiac arrests today are caused by heart rhythm problems or a heart attack.

"Cardiac arrest remains a critical event in the 24th century. However, quick access to medical help and new prognostic tools, established by the 24th century will help treat people in cardiac arrest," researchers said.

On Star Trek, a patient's survival did not depend on where that person had a cardiac arrest. Star Trek's technology of "teleportation" allowed patients to be transported from one location to another at lightning-fast speed.

A medical scanner tool called a tricorder also helped to diagnose and treat patients.

The study is published in the journal Resuscitation.