Auxlung

Auxiliary gas diffusion membranes, more commonly known as "auxlungs," are cybernetic augmentations which allow the owner to exchange oxygen and carbon dioxide in their blood as a supplement to, or replacement off, the function of existing biological lungs - or, in the case of augmented animals, gills.   Auxlungs often take the form of a network of long pockets of semi-permeable membranes laid out in the spaces between the ribs and major central vascular structures of the recipient. Ports just under the skin allow external oxygen sources and carbon scrubbers to be attached to this network, allowing for respiration to occur even if the lungs themselves are not in use.   Auxlungs are less common than implants like immune augmentations, but are not entirely unfamiliar to the typical citizen of the Cobalt Protectorate. Individuals with lung damage, asthma, or autoimmune disorders sometimes receive auxlungs if other treatments prove impractical; auxlungs can allow a patient to survive even if the throat, larynx, or alveoli are completely obstructed, provided emergency medical personnel know the patient has the implants and hooks them up to life support in time. Another group of people where auxlungs are common are Knights-Airmen who receive them alongside 'G fortification' implants as a means of surviving the crushing forces exerted by the maneuvers of hypersonic aircraft. Aerospace fighters, such as the Lance Superfighter, have missile-like performance and can accelerate hard enough to completely pin the pilot's diaphragm; a set of auxlungs eliminates the issue of breathing under these conditions, though the vascular system and other organs of the body still require the structural support provided by G-fortifications to avoid damage.