Cell Death
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The reason people die when the heart stops beating and is not resuscitated within a few minutes is that to stay alive, all tissues in the body require oxygen. When we inspire (breathe in), the lungs fill with air, and the oxygen, which is at a greater concentration in the air than in the blood circulating in the capillaries in the lungs, crosses the thin membranes of the lung tissue and the fine capillaries and enters the bloodstream. Erythrocytes (red blood cells) in the bloodstream contain a pigment called hemoglobin, which binds oxygen, and this pigment allows the erythrocytes to transport it to the tissues. When the oxygen-rich blood reaches the tissues and encounters an area where the oxygen concentration is less than it is in the blood, oxygen is released by hemoglobin and diffuses out of the fine capillaries into the tissues and enters the cells, where it is used in metabolic processes. Carbon dioxide diffuses out of the cells and into the bloodstream, where it is at a lower concentration and is taken back to the lungs, where it is exchanged for oxygen.The heart is a muscular organ responsible for circulating blood around the body. It is divided into four chambers. Oxygen rich blood from the lungs flows into the left atrium through the pulmonary veins, and is delivered to the left ventricle. From here, it is pumped into the aorta, which delivers blood to the arteries supplying oxygenated blood to the tissues. Veins bring back deoxygenated blood, laden with c
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definitive for death, meaning that the point at which somatic death progresses to molecular death is not always clear.
Indisputable signs of molecular, and thus irreversible, death are purpuric death spots resulting from hypostasis, which can occur within half an hour of death; the onset of muscle stiffness after three hours, leading to rigor mortis; and a decrease in body temperature, which may not be obvious for 8 hours after death (Charlton, 1996).
Since all body functions are ultimately directed by the brain, whether or not death occurs when the heart stops will depend on the length of time it is stopped. If the heart can be resuscitated, life can continue. When the brain is deprived of oxygen, damage begins rapidly (Krieger, 1998). The development of neurological signs from cerebral anoxia (oxygen deprivation) depend on the duration and severity of the interruption to the blood flow, not on its cause. Complete cerebral circulation arrest and oxygen deprivation cause unconsciousness within seconds (Krieger, 1998). In short-lived anoxia, such as from syncope (fainting), tissue oxygenation is restored immediately, and consciousness returns, usually with no long-lasting effects. Incomplete or delayed restoration of bl
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Some common words found in the essay are:
Beers Fletcher, Kendall Trigt, United Kingdom, EEG EKG, , Ackerman Grenvik, S-100 Krieger, December Evolved, brain stem, brain death, charlton 1996, Inc Bernat, bernat 1998, Center Report, brain dead, heart stops, pulmonary vascular resistance, circulation stops, krieger 1998, diagnosis death, death occurs, subserved brain stem, heart stops beating, beers fletcher 1997, kendall trigt 1997,
Approximate Word count = 2538
Approximate Pages = 10 (250 words per page)
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