lifesaver

[ lahyf-sey-ver ]

/ ˈlaɪfˌseɪ vər /

a person who rescues another from danger of death, especially from drowning.

a person or thing that saves a person, as from a difficult situation or critical moment: That money was a lifesaver.

Chiefly British. a lifeguard.

Origin of lifesaver

First recorded in 1880–85; life + saver

life·sav·ing, adjective, noun

Life-saving vaccines for those illnesses and others are—without enough medical workers to disburse them—going unused.

Millions Promised for Ebola Not Adding Up |Abby Haglage |November 25, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
Now, one company is trying to minimize the potential danger of these (often necessary and life-saving) machines.

Are Routine Scans Causing Cancer? |Dale Eisinger |September 17, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
Only she can make hetersoexuality sound like a life-saving elixir that I need to inject directly into my veins.

Lana Del Rey Makes Me Wish I Were Straight |Samantha Allen |July 31, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
But then Looking suddenly discovered the life-saving qualities of tension, plot, and the power of a good love triangle.

How ‘Looking’ Suddenly Got Its Act Together |Tim Teeman |March 10, 2014 |DAILY BEAST

The broader question is what is the proper cost of life-saving pharmaceuticals?

There’s a Life Saving New Drug. But You Can’t Afford It. |Kaiser Health News |February 28, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
"Life-saving seems to soften the heart," she reflected, grimly, conscious as always of her own reactions.

Dangerous Ages |Rose Macaulay
We are too busy, we have too many really important things to do, to worry ourselves about life-saving appliances.

Studies in love and in terror |Marie Belloc Lowndes
Lots of people seem to forget that the lighthouse-keeper is not the coast-guard or the head of the crew of a life-saving station.

Some Naval Yarns |Mordaunt Hall
I should be sorry to desert you all, but I'm sick of the very sound of 'life-saving'!

The New Girl at St. Chad's |Angela Brazil
Why, the penalty might be regarded as so violent there'd be no life-saving at all.

A Tale of Two Tunnels |William Clark Russell

life-saving

acting to save a person's life

informal giving help in time of need

the practice or techniques of saving people's lives