Murder by Air Embolism
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It take a lot, and I mean A LOT of air to kill someone if you inject it intravenously. Injecting into a peripheral vein is usually inconsequential. The air dissolves in the blood and nothing happens.
Now, if you inject a large volume (several milliliters per kilogram), you can cause a lethal air embolism. It has to be injected rapidly, and the mechanism of death is obstruction of right ventricular outflow by the air bolus.
I've seen several hemodynamically-significant venous air embolisms, and if recognized, it's usually a minor hiccup. I can only assume they were relatively small.
But, these are venous air embolisms.
An embolism on the arterial side, however, is a much bigger deal. It's something that we always took care to prevent during heart surgery - after all, you're opening the aorta and there's always a potential for air to get into the system. Shooting air into the aorta as it leaves the heart is a setup for air getting into the cerebral circulation, causing stroke, or worse.
I'd really like to see the story of how this guy did what he did. The article says that air was seen on the CT scans of the patients' heads. As the neurologist says, that indicates that it was an arterial air embolism.
"Now look here, you Baltic gas passer... " - Mik, 6/14/08
The saying, "Lite is just one damn thing after another," is a gross understatement. The damn things overlap.
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Thank God Texas has the Death Penalty.
I hope they move him to the express lane.
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@aqua-letifer said in Murder by Air Embolism:
@klaus said in Murder by Air Embolism:
One common bike maintenance pitfall is to have air in the hydraulic disc brake system. Devastating consequences for braking performance.
Gotta spike that shit properly! Or just use rim brakes and stop being such a fucking Nancy.
I do like a good pair of rim brakes - especially how easy they are to maintain - but their time is over.
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@george-k said in Murder by Air Embolism:
It take a lot, and I mean A LOT of air to kill someone if you inject it intravenously.
It had a good run as a creative and diabolical means of murder in mystery novels though, until autopsies got all fancy with their pinprick detection techniques and whatnot. Readers wised up.
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@klaus said in Murder by Air Embolism:
@aqua-letifer said in Murder by Air Embolism:
@klaus said in Murder by Air Embolism:
One common bike maintenance pitfall is to have air in the hydraulic disc brake system. Devastating consequences for braking performance.
Gotta spike that shit properly! Or just use rim brakes and stop being such a fucking Nancy.
I do like a good pair of rim brakes - especially how easy they are to maintain - but their time is over.
Pffffffffffft.
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@catseye3 said in Murder by Air Embolism:
@george-k said in Murder by Air Embolism:
It take a lot, and I mean A LOT of air to kill someone if you inject it intravenously.
It had a good run as a creative and diabolical means of murder in mystery novels though, until autopsies got all fancy with their pinprick detection techniques and whatnot. Readers wised up.
Depends on the victim. In the old days, we posted a lot more patients. And anybody that died outside of the hospital was most often posted, unless they were old with known health problems. Today, not so much.
Unless foul play is suspected or there are legal aspects, most outpatients are never autopsied. Those are usually forensic, if they are done. And very, very few inpatients are posted.
Always remember, Operation Valkyrie was an act of sedition.
Warning: I post things that interest me. Read and comment at your own discretion. -
@aqua-letifer said in Murder by Air Embolism:
Pffffffffffft.
Funnily enough, that's exactly the noise his fancy-schmancy brakes will make after they've leaked all over the shop and he attempts to apply them just before a high speed meeting with Destiny.
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Success is measured by your discipline and inner peace. – Mike Ditka
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@catseye3 said in Murder by Air Embolism:
@jolly said in Murder by Air Embolism:
Depends on the victim. In the old days, we posted a lot more patients.
Talking about fiction.
Ok, I'll bite.
What do you know about autopsies?
Always remember, Operation Valkyrie was an act of sedition.
Warning: I post things that interest me. Read and comment at your own discretion. -
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@axtremus said in Murder by Air Embolism:
What does it feel like to be killed by an air embolism?
Venous air embolism? Probably feels like you've had a massive heart attack and your heart stops pumping.Arterial air embolism? Probably feels like you're having a stroke, if the air goes to the cerebral circulation. Otherwise, I imagine that, if it's large enough, it can cut off circulation to an extremity or other organ. I suppose it depends on how much air is injected, how fast, and where the injection occurs.
What are the outward signs that the victim of air embolism would exhibit before he dies of it?
Cardiovascular collapse or stroke, depending on the type of embolism.
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@axtremus said in Murder by Air Embolism:
What does it feel like to be killed by an air embolism?
You will experience a tingling sensation, and then death.
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