Blood draining...?!
Question: Not to be morbid or anything, but...
I'm writing a story.
Of course.
The bad guy is using a good guy like an hour glass to get the other good guy to do what he wants post haste.
What do you think is the best way to drain the blood slowly out of a living man?
How long would it take?
What symtoms would the victim suffer?
Any questions I should ask to complete the scene?
Thanks for any help you all might throw my way.
Answers: Not to be morbid or anything, but...
I'm writing a story.
Of course.
The bad guy is using a good guy like an hour glass to get the other good guy to do what he wants post haste.
What do you think is the best way to drain the blood slowly out of a living man?
How long would it take?
What symtoms would the victim suffer?
Any questions I should ask to complete the scene?
Thanks for any help you all might throw my way.
If I wanted to be dramatic, I would put an IV catheter in the victim's vein. This would allow the blood to drain as slow or as fast as I wanted. For dramatic purposes, I would drain it into a container so I could see how much had drained. Since I assume this guy isn't a torture victim, I wouldn't put it where he had to watch. If the IV line is dipped into the container, you could put it below him and use it as a siphon to actually suck blood.
He would have to be tied down, of course. I don't know how you would want to do this, but regular hospital restraints ought to work.
The average person has about five liters of blood. The person probably wouldn't feel anything until he has lost a half liter or so. After that, his blood pressure would start to fall. The hands and feet would turn pale or even blue, and they would be cold and clammy. This would also effect the earlobes, nose, lips, and nail beds. The rest of the skin would have a grayish tinge and would be moist. The person would become a little stuporous, sleepy, and lethargic. As the blood went down, he would breathe faster and deeper. His pulse could not be felt in his extremities, and it would be difficult to take a blood pressure. His heart rate increases as his body struggles to get oxygen, but his pulse is weak. He will lose consciousness, but when he does depends on whether he is lying down, sitting or standing. Sooner if he is standing. He would probably have to lose half his blood to become unconscious if he were lying down.
How long this would take would depend on the bore of your catheter. Blood banks use a 15 gauge needle, and it is big, and comparable to a 15 french catheter. I figure 20 minutes to lose a liter this way, slower or faster if you want.
I don't know what you mean about what questions you should ask. Do you mean dialogue? In which case, the bad guy keeps asking the good guy if he is feeling a little short of breath or whatever.
I can't believe I just wrote this, but it is no worse than some things I have seen in movies. The Pit and the Pendulum.
Like, a small vein in the arm opened up, probably fifteen minutes to half an hour to bleed out to the point of unconsciousness, and another fifteen to death.
Conscious symptoms would include lethargy, feeling cold, bluing of the skin, disorientation, possibly loss of vision as the blood pressure drops. Then euphoria, followed by slowed breathing, and finally, death.
If the vein is larger, less time, and more rapid onset of symptoms. Severed jugular vein takes less than a minute to kill.