Naked Science Forum

Life Sciences => Physiology & Medicine => Topic started by: marie on 06/09/2008 15:34:58

Title: How quickly can someone bleed to death from a cut artery?
Post by: marie on 06/09/2008 15:34:58

marie asked the Naked Scientists:

Just a quick question.

If you have your jugular vein, brachial artery or femoral artery cut, how long will it take someone to bleed out?  Having a heated discussion with someone about it.  he says 36 hours, and i say he's nuts, would be just a matter of minutes.  Who's right?

What do you think?

Title: How quickly can someone bleed to death from a cut artery?
Post by: RD on 06/09/2008 15:45:42

An adult heart pumps blood at several litres per minute.
An adult has about 4 or 5 litres of blood.
So could bleed to death in a few minutes.

(Don't try this at home)

Title: How quickly can someone bleed to death from a cut artery?
Post by: Bored chemist on 06/09/2008 18:40:02

Of course, if it's just a small cut...

Title: None
Post by: Steve on 21/07/2011 02:27:59

depends on the artery, with some arteries like the Dorsalis Pedis Artery you'll have a few minutes, but with the Aorta, Femoral or Carotid Artery, your dead, you'll drop out-cool immediately from the blood pressure drop, and bleed out in less than a minute

Title: None
Post by: ok on 22/06/2014 03:37:44

Just to clarify there's no such thing as jugular artery. The jugulars are veins

Title: None
Post by: wych on 04/11/2014 23:47:33

I was stabbed thrice in my arm and chest by a home invader. He severed my brachial artery and axillary nerve clean in half.He fled and I immediately felt drowsy. Every time my heart beat blood gushed from my arm pit with great force as if a thumb over a garden hose. I made made it out my front door and about twenty step before I collapsed and went unconcious. Paramedics said I basically died and lost 75 percent of my blood. It all only took about a minute. A severed artery equals death extremely fast unless quick action is taken like in my case.