Robustness Failure In A Biological System

Here I hypothesize that trauma is an example for a robustness failure in a biological system. Robustness, can be defined most generally as a property that allows a system to maintain its functions against internal and external perturbations [1]. The body uses feedback systems to achieve robust, dynamic response in the presence of trauma. For instance, when a patient bleeds severely, they experience hypovolemic shock. The loss of blood prevents adequate oxygenated blood from reaching vital organs such as the brain. As a result, brain function is reduced, threatening survival. The body then responds to this blood loss by feedback loops to maintain the flow of the oxygenated blood to the brain [2]. Breathing rate, stroke volume and heart rate …show more content…
The oxygenated blood drops speedily and the patient dies. So why did the system control in the use of feedback loops failed? It is important that the body’s feedback loops maintains blood pressure effectively but unfortunately this effectiveness can hide the patient’s real deteriorating physical condition. In the beginning stages of the hypovolemic shock, the more successful the feedback loops maintain blood pressure and reduced perfusion to the brain, the system is deteriorating even though it is not seeing as a drop in blood pressure [4]. That is to say, although the patient is losing blood and the venous volume and pressure is decreasing, the blood pressure will look reasonably stable as the myocardial contractility, heart rate and peripheral vascular resistance increase as a means to compensate for the perturbation. This produces a blood pressure that is misleading and may lead the doctor into a false sense of patient recovery