Bleeding to death
The speed of exsanguination, as bleeding to death is known, depends on the source of the bleed, says John Kortbeek at the University of Calgary in Alberta, Canada, and chair of Advanced Trauma Life Support for the American College of Surgeons. People can bleed to death in seconds if the aorta, te major blood vessel leading fromthe heart, is completely severed, for example, after a severe fall or car accident.
Death could creepup much more slowly if a smaller vein or artery is nicked - even taking hours. Such victims would experience several stages of haemorrhagic shock. The average adult has 5 liters of blood. Losses of around 750 milliliters generally cause few symptoms. Anyone losing 1.5 liters - either through an external wound or internal bleeding - fells weak, thirsty, and anxious, and would be breathing fast. By 2 liters, people experience dizziness, confusion, ad then eventually unconsciousness.
"Survivors of haemorrhagic shock describe many different experiences, ranging from fear to relative calm," Kortbeek says, "In large part this would depend on what and how extensive the associated injuries were. A single penetrating wound to the femoral artery in the leg might be less painful than multiple fractures sustained in a motor crash vehicle crash."
Death could creepup much more slowly if a smaller vein or artery is nicked - even taking hours. Such victims would experience several stages of haemorrhagic shock. The average adult has 5 liters of blood. Losses of around 750 milliliters generally cause few symptoms. Anyone losing 1.5 liters - either through an external wound or internal bleeding - fells weak, thirsty, and anxious, and would be breathing fast. By 2 liters, people experience dizziness, confusion, ad then eventually unconsciousness.
"Survivors of haemorrhagic shock describe many different experiences, ranging from fear to relative calm," Kortbeek says, "In large part this would depend on what and how extensive the associated injuries were. A single penetrating wound to the femoral artery in the leg might be less painful than multiple fractures sustained in a motor crash vehicle crash."