What happens when you die?

Process of dying in the human body

According to palliative care professionals, dying is perceived as peaceful by those affected in many cases. They are usually withdrawn in the last days of life and the body slowly begins to shut down the organ functions. These signs can often look very painful or frightening to loved ones, but the appearance can be dull. It is all the more important to develop an understanding of the various processes in the dying body so that one can accept them and understand that they are part of the natural dying process.

There are many people in the days before death very withdrawn and the body begins to do that Metabolic functions adjust slowly. This is expressed by the fact that those affected often Nothing more to eat and drink want. It does not make sense to try to persuade them to do so anyway, as this would only represent an additional burden for the person concerned.

The decreased organ function and the with it decreased blood flow expresses itself through the white and cold of the extremities and in the face through the so-called Facies hippocratica. This is where it works Emaciated face, the Sunken cheeks and eyes, the nose looks very pointed skin becomes cold and it is a decreased facial expressions ascertain.

Some patients have also shown one in the past few days strong motor restlessness and often begin to turn in bed, for example.

The decreased function of the kidneys and the gastrointestinal tract is the Excretion of metabolic end products often very reduced and the body slowly begins to poison itself, what with Clouding of consciousness and fatigue, but also sometimes with itching and nausea connected is.

The breathing The dying is increasing more irregular and flat. There can also be gasping and rattling, which is perceived as excruciating by outsiders, but often not by the person concerned. The rattling is due to the fact that the dying have greatly reduced the swallowing function and themselves Mucus in the airways accumulates.

In the end, that too begins heart to limit its function. Of the Blood pressure and the Heart rate decrease. This process is progressive and ends in Cardiac arrest (and finally in cardiac death). The interrupted oxygen supply catches them Neurons of the brain after about five minutes to diewhat the so-called brain death leads. The patient is now clinically dead.

Death sign

Signs of death are certain characteristic changes in the body that occur after death. A distinction is made between certain and uncertain signs of death.

To the sure sign of death belong Corpse stains, Rigor mortis and Corpse putrefaction. At least one of these signs must be present for a person to be declared death. Exceptions to this are injuries that are not compatible with life. These include, for example brain death determined by an EEG or a 30 minute unsuccessful attempt at resuscitation.

Corpse stains arise through Buildup of blood in the deepest areas of the body after internal bleeding. Corpses lying on their backs therefore usually have dark spots on their backs.

The one that is pronounced all over the body Rigor mortis usually sets six to eight hours after death a. The reason for this is the lack of energy in the form of ATP in the muscle, which is actually necessary for detaching the myosin heads from the actin filaments (Read about this: Building the muscles). As a result, these proteins remain firmly anchored to one another and a solid one occurs Rigidity of the muscle. This rigidity can be broken by strong external forces.

To the unsafe death sign count the Apnea, a missing pulse, lack of reflexes, pale skin, a lack of muscle tone and a Cooling down the body. These signs are classified as unsafe because they can appear in other situations without the person having died. After a heart attack, a person cannot have a pulse, but there is still a small time window in which to resuscitate, since brain death has not yet occurred. Only when the brain death through a EEG is diagnosed, people are called clinical dead viewed.

What happens when you die of cancer?

Usually the formation of Cancer cells are not directly fatal for the people. Rather, it's the consequences of growth like Narrowing other structures, Loss of function or the increased energy requirements that ultimately lead to death.

Metastatic tumors that spread throughout the body are particularly fatal because they affect many organs and often grow rapidly. The big difference in growth benign, so-called benigner Tumors is that this only displace other structures, whereas with malicious (malignant) Tumors a Infiltration and destruction of the surrounding tissue takes place. Does this happen to a larger extent in the lung, the airways are narrowed and the Oxygen uptake can go so far reduced The lack of oxygen in the blood can lead to death. Does this occur in the kidney on, toxins can no longer be eliminated from the body and the Body is slowly being poisoned. This then leads to Multiple organ failure.

The effects of a tumor ultimately depend on the type and location of the tumor.

What happens to the blood when you die?

As the blood circulation in the body comes to a standstill due to the heart failure, this begins blood slowly to curdle and by gravity to collect at the deepest points of the body. It arise Corpse stains. In the case of patients lying on their back, this mainly affects the back and the back of the legs. The corpse marks develop in the first hours after death. The clotted blood shows up through protruding blue veins and becomes over the course of the Decay process degraded by bacteria.

What happens in the brain when you die?

The brain reacts scary sensitive changes in the level of oxygen in the blood. It is the first organ to be damaged by heart failure following an insufficient supply of oxygen.

The length of time that a Brain survive without oxygen can be approx 5 minutes. After that arise massive irreversible damage of nerve cells in all areas of the brain. This time is therefore also the limit for the length of a resuscitation process. If the heart has not started beating again after this time, this can lead to one brain death to lead. This is irreversible, from a clinical point of view the patient is now dead. However, the person concerned does not notice any more of this, since shortly after the lack of oxygen occurs coma entry.

Some patients who have been resuscitated report of Near death experiences during heart failure. It cannot be determined whether these are based on biological processes or religious ideas.

What happens in the gut when you die?

The Continence is constant in a healthy person Tension of certain circular muscles, so-called Pylori, generated. These block, for example, the exit of the stomach, the small intestine and the rectum. After death the brain does not send any further signals to them Spinal muscles and you slacken. This leads to death often with a Bowel movement goes hand in hand. The bacteria resident in the intestine play a key role in the decomposition of the body after death.