A life support system such as a heart-lung machine may include a plurality of medical devices a control panel and an excellent control position. The control panel may have separate control elements for operating the medical devices. The control panel may be constructed protruding essentially flat over a floor area of the majority of the medical devices. The control panel may be constructed to protrude in such a manner, that a control element, aligned only with a particular device and with the control position, is assigned to each device.
