How do people instantly die when their necks are snapped?!
Question: How do people instantly die when their necks are snapped.?
I see it in movies and in video games how do they die like that.? And add details about it.Health Question & Answer
Answers:
Unfortunately it's probably not so instant as you might wish.
The nerves that go to the breathing muscle called the diaphragm, which draws air into the lungs when it contracts, come out of the spinal cord in between the bones of the neck, called "cervical vertebrae". They exit from the spine in 3 nerve roots on either side at levels 3, 4, and 5. Additionally, the nerves to the heart and to the blood vessels originate from points in the neck and below.
When the neck is broken, the bone fragments rip loose from a series of supporting ligaments that hold them in position. The edges of the broken spine can easily crush the extremely soft tissue of the spinal cord. The spinal cord is actually protected inside a bony canal that runs down inside of the spine. When this happens high in the neck, the spinal cord is severed at a point above where the above mentioned nerves emanate.
At that point, the brain is no longer able to send signals down the spinal cord to the nerves that are below the injury.
When the signals to the breathing muscles are stopped, breathing stops.
When the signal pathways to the heart and blood vessels are disrupted, the heart slows to a very low rate and all the blood vessels relax.
For this reason, when someone sustains a high neck fracture, they must be immediately supported with mechanical ventilation and they must immediately be treated for low blood pressure.
If a person sustains this type of high neck injury and they are not given immediate ventilatory assistance, they will quickly run out of stored oxygen in their body (in less than 4 minutes) and at that point they will begin to suffer a rapidly progressive permanent brain injury. Within a few minutes they will be dead. Although it looks like they have instantly dropped dead and limp like a sack of flour, they're really just paralyzed and they're probably horrifyingly aware of what's going on for several minutes before they slip away. Health Question & Answer
The nerves that go to the breathing muscle called the diaphragm, which draws air into the lungs when it contracts, come out of the spinal cord in between the bones of the neck, called "cervical vertebrae". They exit from the spine in 3 nerve roots on either side at levels 3, 4, and 5. Additionally, the nerves to the heart and to the blood vessels originate from points in the neck and below.
When the neck is broken, the bone fragments rip loose from a series of supporting ligaments that hold them in position. The edges of the broken spine can easily crush the extremely soft tissue of the spinal cord. The spinal cord is actually protected inside a bony canal that runs down inside of the spine. When this happens high in the neck, the spinal cord is severed at a point above where the above mentioned nerves emanate.
At that point, the brain is no longer able to send signals down the spinal cord to the nerves that are below the injury.
When the signals to the breathing muscles are stopped, breathing stops.
When the signal pathways to the heart and blood vessels are disrupted, the heart slows to a very low rate and all the blood vessels relax.
For this reason, when someone sustains a high neck fracture, they must be immediately supported with mechanical ventilation and they must immediately be treated for low blood pressure.
If a person sustains this type of high neck injury and they are not given immediate ventilatory assistance, they will quickly run out of stored oxygen in their body (in less than 4 minutes) and at that point they will begin to suffer a rapidly progressive permanent brain injury. Within a few minutes they will be dead. Although it looks like they have instantly dropped dead and limp like a sack of flour, they're really just paralyzed and they're probably horrifyingly aware of what's going on for several minutes before they slip away. Health Question & Answer
Chuck Norris comes and makes sure the job is done right.
Sadly, the surgeon below me is wrong. Chuck Norris is just so efficient in his killing that doctors have not been able to scientifically prove any mere man could perform his acts.Health Question & Answer
Sadly, the surgeon below me is wrong. Chuck Norris is just so efficient in his killing that doctors have not been able to scientifically prove any mere man could perform his acts.Health Question & Answer
It separates the spinal cord from the brain stem.Health Question & Answer
It's like dismemberment. The brain stops communicating with the rest of the body. ie motor functionsHealth Question & Answer
Breaks your windpipe cutting off oxygen to your lungs and brain.Health Question & Answer