Lethal pressure for humans: critical indicators

Normal blood pressure for an adult is 120/80. Deviations of 10 points are allowed. When the indicators remain stable and the person feels good, this pressure is called working pressure.

If it changes sharply, it poses a danger to life, because it negatively affects the functioning of various organs and can result in death, and the cause can be either too low or too high values. Previously, such problems were characteristic only of older people, but now similar things can happen to young people.

Very high, as well as very low blood pressure is dangerous for humans

Age norms for blood pressure

The state of the body directly depends on age, physical activity, habits, and psycho-emotional stress. Typically, by the age of 50, a person already has a number of chronic diseases. As you age, your blood pressure also changes.

To determine blood pressure (BP), a special device is used - a tonometer. It records the maximum blood ejection at the time of contraction of the heart muscle - systolic pressure, and the minimum level - diastolic pressure.

There are certain age standards for acceptable blood pressure levels:

In a healthy person, a blood pressure of 120/80 mmHg is considered normal. Art., while the difference between systolic and diastolic indicators should vary within 30-55 mm Hg. Other values ​​indicate disturbances in the functioning of the body. Frequent decreases or increases in values ​​lead to pathological changes in the cardiovascular system and impaired cerebral circulation.

Fatal outcomes from sudden changes in blood pressure also occur in healthy people. At what pressure you can die will directly depend on a combination of negative factors, the condition of the blood vessels and the heart.

What it is?

The main organ of human life is the heart. This is a pump for pumping blood, supplying oxygen to all organs and systems of the body. For this reason, there are several phases in the functioning of the heart muscle:

• diastole;
• systole.

Based on the parameters of the functioning of the heart muscle in humans, the upper and lower limits of blood pressure are distinguished. Its sharp fluctuations are characterized by their ability to affect the body in a negative way: high and low pressure are unsafe for life.

If earlier the quantitative ratio of people suffering from high blood pressure (hypertension) was much higher than those with low blood pressure (hypotension), now the situation is changing dramatically. Heart and vascular diseases occupy one of the leading places in mortality throughout the world. The disease itself is also getting younger. If before this time older people suffered from coronary artery disease, now this disease is becoming younger.

Critical indicators

Sudden pressure surges to certain standards can cause serious brain and heart complications and cause death. To prevent the loss of a loved one, it is necessary to remember under what pressure a person dies. Each organism has its own critical indicator. There is an opinion that an increase or decrease in blood pressure by 30 points from the usual state is life-threatening.

Experts cannot give an exact figure at what pressure death occurs. It is believed that the maximum the body can withstand is a blood pressure of 260/140 mmHg. Art., then the person dies. A decrease in diastolic blood pressure leads to worsening blood circulation. The result may be the development of heart failure, hypoxia, and loss of consciousness. It is necessary to understand at what pressure a person dies and when he needs emergency help. A sharp decrease in pressure by 30 mm Hg. Art. can cause certain sensations and cardiogenic shock, which is accompanied by cardiac arrest. In most cases this leads to death.

When should you call emergency services?

Both hypertension and hypotension require emergency care . Therefore, in case of a sharp and sudden rise (fall) in blood pressure to individual values, it is necessary to call qualified medical assistance, otherwise this may lead to irreversible consequences.

A sharp change in blood pressure, both upward and downward, is dangerous. When these conditions are identified, emergency assistance is required, which can only be provided by qualified specialists. Therefore, if hypo- or hypertension is detected, an ambulance should be sought, where normal blood pressure numbers will be achieved through the administration of medications.

High and low blood pressure

In an absolutely healthy person, blood pressure (BP) may change throughout the day. The indicators are influenced by emotional mood, physical activity, consumption of alcohol and certain foods, disruption of work and rest schedules. In chronic conditions of high or low blood pressure, hypertension and hypotension are diagnosed.

Hypertension

Hypertension is one of the most common illnesses in the world. It takes millions of lives. The pathology is expressed in the persistence of persistently high blood pressure.

Stages of disease development:

1. Early stage. It manifests itself as temporary jumps in indicators up to 140/90 and an independent decrease. Over time, this leads to further changes in the blood vessels.
2. Second stage. It is characterized by an increase in blood pressure to 180/110, and it can only be normalized with the help of special medications.
3. Serious condition. Constant blood pressure more than 180 mm Hg. Art. At the same time, the heart muscle and blood vessels are severely worn out. Against this background, there are concomitant diseases.

Note. A sharp increase in blood pressure during hypertension causes a crisis that can lead to death.

The blood pressure of a dying person with hypertensive collapse usually exceeds 200 mmHg. Art. Several cases of survival with blood pressure of 300 mm Hg have been recorded. Art., but this is an exception to the statistical data. A person who survives such cases becomes disabled. Vital organs stop functioning normally.

Blood pressure values ​​at which you can die

To provide emergency medical care, it is necessary to understand at what pressure people die. A dangerous indicator is a large difference between systolic and diastolic numbers.

Condition during hypertensive crisis:

• 180/140 – moderate-heavy;
• 240/140 – heavy;
• 200/100 – risk of death;
• 260/100 – especially difficult – a person dies.

Any critical increase in blood pressure can trigger the failure of vital organs, which leads to irreversible consequences or death.

Signs of death from hypertension

High blood pressure in a person at death is characterized by the appearance of the following symptoms:

• Strong headache;
• nausea and vomiting, goose bumps before the eyes;
• state of fear and panic;
• minor body spasms;
• lack of air;
• increased sweating when the skin is cold;
• loss of consciousness;
• scleral hemorrhage;
• pressure goes off scale by 30-50 points from the usual high levels.

All of the above signs indicate an extremely serious condition in which a person may die suddenly. Death occurs due to failure of internal organs: heart, brain, rupture of blood vessels. If signs of a hypertensive crisis are detected, first aid must be provided.

Hypotension

This is a pathological decrease in blood pressure. The main causes are chronic diseases of internal organs. Those suffering from this disease constantly experience:

• dizziness;
• chronic fatigue;
• fainting conditions;
• irritability;
• swelling;
• muscle pain.

Over time, dystrophic changes in blood vessels occur. A constant lack of oxygen and nutrients negatively affects the functional abilities of the brain. Possible strokes, tachycardia (heart rhythm disturbances), and in severe cases, cardiogenic shock.

Symptoms of a dying state with low blood pressure

The dying state with low blood pressure is accompanied by:

• arrhythmia;
• cold sweat;
• severe malaise, weakness in the legs;
• panic attacks;
• lethargy;
• swelling of the venous arteries;
• marbling of the skin;
• cyanosis (blue discoloration of lips, mucous membranes).

The patient loses consciousness, lack of blood circulation provokes coma, cardiac arrest. Without adequate care, the patient will die.

The body's reaction to critically low levels

The severity of the condition can be determined by blood pressure, duration of shock, severity of body reactions, oliguria (a sharp decrease in the functioning of the urinary tract). Below are the figures at what low pressure a person dies and whether it is possible to avoid tragedy.

• Blood pressure within 90/50 mm Hg. Art. quickly relieved by drug therapy.
• 80/50 is accompanied by shock conditions from the cardiovascular system.
• A prolonged decrease in readings to 60/30 causes pronounced reactions and may be accompanied by pulmonary edema and cerebral hypoxia.
• When blood pressure decreases to 40 mm Hg. signs of a pre-mortem state are clearly expressed.
• Indicators are 20 mm Hg. Art. are not detected by a conventional device, the person falls into a coma and dies without help.

When readings are below 60 mmHg. The sense of reality is gradually lost, the earth floats under your feet, and the body goes into shock.

Important! At the first symptoms, it is necessary to call an ambulance, especially if there are no people nearby who can provide the necessary assistance.

To prevent a tragedy, it is necessary to monitor your health, periodically measure your blood pressure, and lead a healthy lifestyle. At the first sign of deviation from the norm, consult a specialist. Timely prevention and treatment with medications will allow you to live for many years.

Classification of types of mechanical asphyxia used during examination of asphyxia

Modern forensic medicine identifies the following types of acute oxygen deficiency caused by external causes (mechanical asphyxia):

1. Strangulation asphyxia (strangulation with a noose or hands, hanging).
2. Compression asphyxia (occurs in the case of mechanical compression of the chest and abdomen).
3. Obstructive asphyxia (caused by obstruction of the airways by a foreign body, drowning, or intentional closing of the nose and mouth).
4. Aspiration asphyxia (occurs as a result of inhalation or accidental entry into the respiratory tract and lungs of blood, stomach contents, viscous or granular substances).
5. Asphyxia in a confined space.

The first two types of asphyxia (strangulation and compression) are classified as types of asphyxia that occurs as a result of compression of the victim’s throat or body. Obstructive and aspiration asphyxia occurs when the airways are closed. Asphyxia in a confined space is caused by a fatal decrease in the oxygen content in the air that the victim was breathing.

Late cadaveric phenomena and preservative processes [edit | edit code ]

Rotting [edit | edit code ]

Rotting is the decomposition of complex organic compounds under the influence of microorganisms into simpler ones. Ultimately, as a result of rotting, complete decomposition of proteins, fats, carbohydrates and other biological substances occurs with the formation of water, hydrogen sulfide, carbon dioxide, ammonia, methane and other compounds.

Mummification [edit | edit code ]

Mummification refers to late cadaveric phenomena of a preservative nature. The origin of the term “mummification” is associated with Egyptian mummies and means the drying of a corpse under natural conditions or using special methods. For the development of natural mummification, a combination of several prerequisites is necessary: ​​dry air, good ventilation and elevated temperature. As a rule, corpses with poorly defined subcutaneous fat and the corpses of newborns are mummified.

Peat tanning [ edit | edit code ]

When in peaty soil, corpses can be peat-tanned. Peat tanning develops under the action of humic (sometimes called humic) acids. Under the influence of humic acids, the skin undergoes “tanning”, thickens, acquires a brown-brown color, and internal organs decrease in volume. Significant changes occur in the bones. Humic acids contribute to the leaching of the mineral base of bone tissue, dissolving it. In this case, the bones become similar in consistency to cartilage, are easily cut with a knife, and are quite flexible. An example of peat tanning is the so-called swamp people.

Fatwax [edit | edit code ]

Fat wax (saponification or saponification) also refers to late cadaveric changes. The necessary conditions for the formation of fat wax are high humidity and the absence of oxygen, which are most often found during burials in damp clay soils, when the corpse is in water and under other similar conditions. In conditions of high humidity and lack of oxygen, the putrefactive processes that have begun gradually stop, tissues and organs are saturated with water.

Skeletonization [edit | edit code ]

It is the process of the final disintegration of a corpse into the bones of the skeleton; as a result of rotting, soft tissues are destroyed, then ligaments. The corpse disintegrates into individual bones.

Dependence on the speed of death [edit | edit code ]

Regardless of the mechanism of biological death, it is always preceded by the moment of clinical death. Depending on the speed of death, agonal death and acute death are distinguished. Agonal death is accompanied by a fairly long terminal period. In acute death, the terminal period is short or practically absent (a typical example of acute death is death due to mechanical asphyxia). The onset of death is always preceded by terminal conditions that influence the nature of postmortem changes.

Near-death state

Changes in blood pressure can also be observed during the process when a person dies. As a rule, death in a person occurs gradually, in several stages:

• preagony,
• agony,
• clinical death
• biological death.

The first three are considered to be the terminal stage of death. A person can no longer get out of it on his own: all body functions gradually fade away. Even if the cause that caused this condition disappears (loss of blood, electrical or thermal trauma), the process cannot be stopped without external help, the victim dies.

In the preagonal state, there is a decrease in the dying person’s pressure, the pulse is weak, breathing is rapid and shallow. It is this stage that is characterized by the lowest blood pressure in a person at death. After the terminal pause, the agony begins. In the agonal stage of death, the pressure increases by 30-40 mm, which is associated with an acceleration of heart contractions. However, such an increase is short-term. Only a doctor can say exactly what pressure at death at this stage, since the heart sounds are muffled and difficult to hear.

In the final stages, a person’s blood pressure drops to almost zero at death. After this, clinical and then biological death occurs.

Examination for strangulation asphyxia

The following types of strangulation asphyxia are distinguished:

• Hanging.
• Strangulation (strangulation) with a noose.
• Strangulation (strangulation) by hand.
• Strangulation with a hard object.

When hanging, the mechanical impact on the organs of the neck is exerted by the loop under the influence of the gravity of the entire human body or its parts. Hanging may be complete or partial. The loops used for hanging are divided into hard (cables, wire, chains, etc.), semi-rigid (ropes, belts, etc.) and soft (towels, scarves, rags, ties, etc.). In rare cases, when hanging, the neck is compressed not by a noose, but by a blunt object (the rung of a ladder, tree branches, the back of a chair, etc.). The location of the hinge assembly can be lateral, posterior or anterior. The typical position of the node is posterior. Lateral and anterior positions are much less common.

Strangulation (strangulation) with a noose is carried out by tightening a noose around the neck using the hands or some kind of mechanism. In this case, the traumatic effect on the organs of the neck is due to the force of the attacker or the mechanism. The deceased could have tightened the noose around the neck independently using a device such as a twist or the handle of a spoon. Suicide by noose strangulation is rare. Most often, noose strangulation is a type of murder. However, accidents are also possible when parts of clothing (scarf, tie, etc.) get caught in various rotating mechanisms.

An important sign of mechanical asphyxia during hanging and strangulation (suffocation) with a noose is a strangulation groove - a mark from the pressure of the noose on the neck (in rare cases, from a blunt object). As a result of the impact of the loop material on the neck, the epidermis is desquamated. After removing the loop, the damaged areas on the skin become denser and dry out. Hemorrhages may form at the site of the strangulation groove. During the examination of asphyxia in the case of hanging or strangulation with a noose, special attention is paid to the description of the strangulation groove, in particular, its following signs are indicated:

• Location (indicates the part of the neck in which the groove is located).
• The nature of the furrow (single, double, closed, open, etc.).
• Direction (horizontal, upward, etc.).
• Dimensions (width, depth).
• Characteristic features (density, description of the bottom and edges of the furrow).
• The presence of hemorrhages around the strangulation groove.
• Intravital (or postmortem) nature of the furrow.

The strangulation groove that appeared intravitally has more pronounced signs. While the post-mortem furrow may be barely noticeable. Establishing the intravital (or postmortem) nature of the occurrence of a strangulation furrow during an examination for asphyxia is of great importance for determining the cause of death, since hanging of the body is often performed posthumously - to simulate suicide or to mask another cause of death, for example, strangulation with a noose.

When strangulated by hand, death occurs from compression of the carotid arteries, veins and nerves, as well as as a result of reflex cardiac arrest. For strangulation, fingers and hands are used, less often - forearms and shoulders. Asphyxia can occur from pressure with the forearm on the neck of a lying person or from compression of the neck in the elbow bend (between the shoulder and forearm), usually with the other hand fixing the bend. Strangulation with a hard object involves traumatic impact on the neck with a blunt, hard object. Sometimes suffocation occurs as a result of an accident when the neck gets caught in mechanically closing doors. Examination of asphyxia in such cases pays special attention to the marks left on the neck in the form of hemorrhages that take the shape of the killer’s fingers or the shape of the object with which the strangulation was carried out. Based on the nature of the traces, the method of murder can be determined. Suicide through manual strangulation is impossible, since the person quickly loses consciousness and the arm muscles relax.