Sports club of travel and adventures "Horizon". Early and late signs of biological death: decrease in body temperature, Beloglazov's symptom (cat's eye), cadaveric spots

There are clear signs of biological death, which indicate that important processes in the body have stopped, leading to the irreversible death of a person. But since modern methods make it possible to resuscitate a patient even when, by all indications, he is dead. At each stage of the development of medicine, the symptoms of the onset of death are specified.

Causes of biological death

Biological or true death means irreversible physiological processes occurring in cells and tissues. It can be natural or premature (pathological, including instantaneous). The body at a certain stage exhausts its strength in the struggle for life. This leads to a stop of the heartbeat and breathing, biological death occurs. Its causes are primary and secondary, they can be such etiological factors as:

acute, profuse blood loss;
concussion or squeezing of organs (vital);
asphyxia;
shock state;
damage incompatible with life;
intoxication;
infectious and non-infectious diseases.

Stages of biological death

How does a person die? The process can be divided into several stages, each of which is characterized by a gradual inhibition of the main vital functions and their subsequent stop. The stages are called:

Predagonal state. Early symptoms of biological death are pallor of the skin, a weak pulse (it is felt on the carotid and femoral arteries), loss of consciousness, and a decrease in pressure. The condition worsens, oxygen starvation increases.
Terminal pause. A special intermediate stage between life and death. The latter is inevitable if urgent resuscitation is not carried out.
Agony. Final stage. The brain ceases to regulate all body functions and the most important life processes. It becomes impossible to revive the organism as an integral system.

How is clinical death different from biological?

Due to the fact that at the same time the body does not die with the cessation of cardiac and respiratory activity, two similar concepts are distinguished: clinical and biological death. Each has its own signs, for example, in the case of clinical death, a pre-agonal state is observed: consciousness, pulse and breathing are absent. But the brain is able to survive without oxygen for 4-6 minutes, the activity of the organs does not stop completely. This is the main difference between clinical death and biological death: the process is reversible. A person can be revived by performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation.

brain death

The cessation of important body functions does not always mean death. Sometimes a pathological condition is diagnosed when there is necrosis of the brain (total) and the first cervical segments of the spinal cord, but gas exchange and cardiac activity are preserved with the help of artificial lung ventilation. This condition is called cerebral, less often social death. In medicine, the diagnosis appeared with the development of resuscitation. Biological brain death is characterized by the presence of the following symptoms:

Lack of consciousness (including).
Loss of reflexes.
Muscle atony.
Inability to spontaneously breathe.
Lack of pupillary response to light.

Signs of biological death in humans

Various signs of biological death confirm the lethal outcome and are a reliable fact of death. But if the symptoms are ascertained under the depressing effect of drugs or conditions of deep cooling of the body, they are not basic. The time of death of each organ is different. Brain tissues are affected faster than others, the heart remains viable for another 1-2 hours, and the liver and kidneys for more than 3 hours. Muscle tissues and skin remain viable even longer - up to 6 hours. Symptoms of biological death are divided into early and later.

Early signs of biological death

In the first 60 minutes after death, early symptoms of biological death appear. The main ones are the absence of three vital parameters: heartbeat, consciousness, breathing. They indicate that resuscitation in this situation is meaningless. Early symptoms of biological death include:

Drying of the cornea, clouding of the pupil. It is covered with a white film, and the iris loses its color.
Lack of eye response to light stimulus.
Cidrom, in which the pupil takes an elongated shape. This is the so-called cat's eye, a sign of biological death, indicating that eye pressure is absent.
The appearance on the body of the so-called Larcher spots - triangles of dried skin.
Coloring lips in a brown shade. They become dense, wrinkled.

Late signs of biological death

After the onset of death during the day there are additional - late - symptoms of the dying of the body. It takes an average of 1.5-3 hours after cardiac arrest, and cadaveric spots of marble color appear on the body (usually in the lower part). In the first 24 hours, due to biochemical processes in the body, rigor mortis sets in and disappears after 2-3 hours. The signs of biological death also include cadaveric cooling, when the body temperature drops to air temperature, dropping by an average of 1 degree in 60 minutes.

Reliable sign of biological death

Any of the symptoms listed above are signs of biological death, the evidence of which makes resuscitation pointless. All these phenomena are irreversible and are physiological processes in tissue cells. A reliable sign of biological death is a combination of the following symptoms:

maximum pupil dilation;
rigor mortis;
cadaveric body spots;
absence of more than 20-30 minutes of cardiac activity;
cessation of breathing;
postmortem hypostasis.

Biological death - what to do?

After the completion of all three processes of dying (pre-agony, terminal pause and agony), the biological death of a person occurs. It must be diagnosed by a doctor and confirmed fatal. The most difficult thing to determine brain death, which in many countries is equated with biological. But after its confirmation, it is possible to remove organs for subsequent transplantation to recipients. Diagnosis sometimes requires:

conclusions of such specialists as resuscitator, forensic expert;
vascular angiography, confirming the stoppage of blood flow or its critically low level.

Biological death - help

With symptoms of clinical death (stopping breathing, stopping the pulse, and so on), the doctor's actions are aimed at reviving the body. With the help of complex resuscitation measures, he tries to maintain the functions of blood circulation and respiration. But only when a positive result of resuscitation of the patient is confirmed - this is a prerequisite. If signs of biological actual death are found, resuscitation is not carried out. Therefore, the term has another definition - true death.

Statement of biological death

At different times, there were different ways of diagnosing the death of a person. The methods were both humane and inhumane, for example, the José and Razet tests involved pinching the skin with forceps and exposing the limbs to red-hot iron. Today, the ascertainment of the biological death of a person is carried out by doctors and paramedics, employees of health care institutions, who have all the conditions for such a check. The main signs - early and late - that is, cadaveric changes allow us to conclude that the patient is dead.

There are methods of instrumental research that confirm death, mainly of the brain:

cerebral;
electroencephalography;
magnetic resonance angiography;
ultrasonography;
spontaneous breathing test, it is carried out only after receiving complete data confirming brain death.

Numerous signs of biological death allow doctors to ascertain the death of a person. In medical practice, cases are known, and not only lack of breathing, but also cardiac arrest. Because of the fear of making mistakes, the methods of life tests are constantly being improved, new ones appear. At the first signs of death, before the appearance of reliable symptoms of true death, doctors have a chance to bring the patient back to life.

Biochemical death (or true death) is an irreversible cessation of physiological processes in cells and tissues. Irreversible termination is usually understood as "irreversible within the framework of modern medical technologies" termination of processes. Over time, the possibilities of medicine for resuscitation of deceased patients change, as a result of which, the border of death is pushed into the future. From the point of view of scientists - supporters of cryonics and nanomedicine, most of the people who are dying now can be revived in the future if their brain structure is preserved now.

Early signs of biological death include:

1. Lack of reaction of the eye to irritation (pressure)

2. Clouding of the cornea, the formation of drying triangles (Larcher spots).

3. The appearance of the symptom of "cat's eye": with lateral compression of the eyeball, the pupil transforms into a vertical spindle-shaped slit.

In the future, cadaveric spots are found with localization in sloping places of the body, then rigor mortis occurs, then cadaveric relaxation, cadaveric decomposition. Rigor mortis and cadaveric decomposition usually begin with the muscles of the face and upper limbs. The time of appearance and duration of these signs depend on the initial background, temperature and humidity of the environment, the reasons for the development of irreversible changes in the body.

The biological death of the subject does not mean the simultaneous biological death of the tissues and organs that make up his body. The time to death of the tissues that make up the human body is mainly determined by their ability to survive in conditions of hypoxia and anoxia. In different tissues and organs, this ability is different. The shortest lifetime under anoxic conditions is observed in the brain tissue, to be more precise, in the cerebral cortex and subcortical structures. The stem sections and the spinal cord have a greater resistance, or rather resistance to anoxia. Other tissues of the human body have this property to a more pronounced degree. Thus, the heart retains its viability for 1.5-2 hours after the onset, according to modern concepts, of biological death. Kidneys, liver and some other organs remain viable for up to 3-4 hours. Muscle tissue, skin and some other tissues may well be viable up to 5-6 hours after the onset of biological death. Bone tissue, being the most inert tissue of the human body, retains its vitality for up to several days. The phenomenon of survival of organs and tissues of the human body is associated with the possibility of their transplantation, and the earlier after the onset of biological death organs are removed for transplantation, the more viable they are, the greater the likelihood of their successful further functioning in a new organism.

Clinical death is the last stage of dying. According to the definition of Academician V.A.Negovsky, “clinical death is no longer life, but it is not yet death. This emergence of a new quality is a break in continuity. In a biological sense, this state resembles suspended animation, although it is not identical to this concept. Clinical death is a reversible condition and the mere fact of cessation of breathing or blood circulation is not proof of the onset of death.

Signs of clinical death include:

1. Lack of breath.

2. Lack of heartbeat.

3. Generalized pallor or generalized cyanosis.

4. Lack of pupillary response to light

Definition of clinical death

The duration of clinical death is determined by the period during which the higher parts of the brain (subcortex and especially the cortex) are able to maintain viability in anoxic conditions. Describing clinical death, V.A. Negovsky speaks of two dates.

The first term of clinical death lasts only 5-6 minutes. This is the time during which the higher parts of the brain retain their viability during anoxia under normothermic conditions. All world practice shows that if this period is exceeded, people can be revived, but as a result, decortication or even decerebration occurs.

· But there may be a second term of clinical death, which doctors have to deal with when providing assistance or in special conditions. The second term of clinical death can last tens of minutes, and resuscitation will be very effective. The second period of clinical death is observed when special conditions are created to slow down the processes of degeneration of the higher parts of the brain during hypoxia or anoxia.

The duration of clinical death is prolonged under conditions of hypothermia, electric shock, and drowning. In clinical practice, this can be achieved by physical effects (hypothermia of the head, hyperbaric oxygenation), the use of pharmacological substances that create states similar to suspended animation, hemosorption, transfusion of fresh (not canned) donor blood, and some others.

If resuscitation measures were not carried out or were unsuccessful, biological or true death occurs, which is an irreversible cessation of physiological processes in cells and tissues.

Immediate use of modern methods of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (revival) can prevent the onset of biological death.

Resuscitation. Two stages of resuscitation should be distinguished. The first stage is immediate, carried out at the scene of the incident (for example, at the scene of a traffic accident) by a person who is in close proximity to the victims. The second stage (specialized) requires the use of medications and appropriate equipment and can be carried out in a specialized ambulance, a helicopter specialized for these purposes, in a medical institution adapted for such purposes as anti-shock measures and resuscitation (administration of medications, infusion of blood and blood substitutes, electrocardiography, defibrillation, etc.).

The first stage can be carried out by almost any medical professional or person well trained in resuscitation techniques. The second stage and the ability to carry out only a specialist, as a rule, is an anesthesiologist-resuscitator.

Here it is appropriate to give the techniques and rules of only the first stage, since the manipulations of the second stage do not directly relate to traumatology.

The first stage of resuscitation includes: a) restoration of airway patency; b) artificial respiration; c) restoration of blood circulation by external heart massage. Resuscitation should begin as soon as possible. The created artificial blood circulation and lung ventilation provide only minimal blood flow and minimal oxygenation, therefore, everything possible must be done to quickly connect specialized assistance for the second stage of resuscitation and intensive care, to consolidate the initial results of resuscitation.

Restoration of airway patency. The closure of the respiratory tract may be due mainly to vomit, blood, mucus, from which the patient, being unconscious, cannot get rid of coughing or swallowing. In addition, in the absence of consciousness, when the muscles are relaxed, with the neck bent forward, the root of the tongue can rest against the back wall of the pharynx. Therefore, the first step is to bend your head back. In this case, the lower jaw should be pushed forward, the mouth should be opened, which leads to the movement of the root of the tongue from the back of the pharynx. If the tongue still sinks, and there are no extra hands to hold the jaw in an advanced position, you can pierce the tongue with a pin or flash it with a needle, pull it out of the mouth and fasten the thread or pin behind the victim's ear. In the presence of foreign contents, it is necessary to clean the mouth and throat with a finger wrapped in a bandage, handkerchief, etc. To do this, turn the patient's head and shoulders (if the patient is lying on his back) somewhat to one side, open the patient's mouth, clean the oral cavity with a finger (or suction, if he is). If a cervical spine injury is suspected, it is not necessary to bend the head backwards because of the risk of aggravating damage to the spinal cord. In this case, they are limited to fixing an elongated tongue or an air duct is introduced.

Artificial respiration. Ventilation of the respiratory tract should begin by forcing air through the mouth. If it is not possible to blow air into the lungs through the mouth due to the closure of the nasopharynx, then they try to blow air into the nose. Blowing air into the mouth, as mentioned above, it is necessary to push the victim's jaw forward and tilt his head back. To prevent the howling-spirit from leaking through the nose, you need to pinch it with one hand or cover the nasal passages with your cheek. Direct ventilation with exhaled air through the mouth-to-mouth or mouth-to-nose system can be carried out more hygienically if blowing is done through a handkerchief or gauze placed on the nose and mouth of the patient. You should take a deep breath, place your lips tightly around the patient's mouth and exhale sharply. When air is injected, it is necessary to monitor whether the chest rises from the air blown into the lungs. Further, conditions are created for passive exhalation: the chest, subsiding, will lead to the expulsion of a portion of air from the lungs. After vigorously carried out 3-5 deep breaths of air into the lungs of the victim, a pulse is felt on the carotid artery. If the pulse is determined, continue to inflate the lungs with a rhythm of 12 breaths in 1 min (one breath in 5 s).

For artificial respiration through the nose, the patient's mouth should be closed at the time of inhalation, while exhaling, the mouth should be opened to facilitate the release of air from the respiratory tract.

Sometimes, when blowing air, it enters not only the lungs, but also the stomach, which can be determined by swelling of the epigastric region. To remove air, press the stomach area with your hand. In this case, along with the air from the stomach, its contents can enter the pharynx and oral cavity, in which case the head and shoulders of the victim are turned to the side and the mouth is cleaned (see above),

Cardiopulmonary bypass (heart massage). The diagnosis of cardiac arrest is made on the basis of the following signs: loss of consciousness, respiratory arrest, dilated pupils, absence of a pulse;) on large vessels - carotid, femoral. The last sign is the most reliable evidence of cardiac arrest. The pulse should be determined from the side closest to the caregiver. To determine the pulse on the carotid artery, the following technique should be used: the index and middle fingers are placed on the patient's thyroid cartilage, and then advanced to the side of the neck, trying to palpate the vessel flat, and not with the tailbones of the fingers.

To restore blood circulation during cardiac arrest, you can use an external heart massage, that is, rhythmic compression of the heart between the sternum and spinal column. When compressed, blood from the left ventricle flows through the vessels to the brain and heart. After the cessation of pressure on the sternum, it again fills the cavity of the heart.

Technique of external heart massage. The palm of one hand is placed on the lower part of the sternum, the palm of the other hand is placed on top of the first. The sternum is pressed towards the spinal column, leaning on the hands and body weight (in children, squeezing the sternum is carried out only with the hands). Having pressed the sternum as much as possible, it is necessary to delay the compression for 1/2 s, after which the pressure is quickly removed. It is necessary to repeat the compression of the sternum at least 1 time in 1 s, because a rarer pressure does not create sufficient blood flow. In children, the frequency of compressions of the sternum should be higher - up to 100 compressions per 1 minute. In the intervals between pressures, the hands do not need to be removed from the sternum. The effectiveness of the massage is judged by: a) pulse shocks on the carotid artery in time with the massage; b) narrowing of the pupils; c) the appearance of independent respiratory movements. Changes in the color of the skin are also taken into account.

Combination of cardiac massage with lung ventilation. External massage alone, without simultaneous blowing of air into the lungs, cannot lead to resuscitation. Therefore, both of these methods of revitalization must be combined. In the event that revival is carried out by 1 person, it is necessary to produce 15 compressions of the sternum within 15 seconds every 2 quick blows of air into the lungs (according to the mouth-to-mouth or mouth-to-nose system). The head of the patient must be thrown back. If resuscitation is carried out by 2 people, then one of them produces one deep inflation of the lungs after every fifth chest compression.

Cardiopulmonary resuscitation continues until a spontaneous pulse occurs; after this, artificial respiration should be continued until spontaneous respiration occurs.

When moving the victim to a vehicle, transferring on a stretcher, transporting resuscitation measures, if necessary, must be continued in the same mode: 15 compressions of the sternum for 2 deep intensive breaths of air.

Clinical death is a reversible stage of dying. In this state, with external signs of the death of the body (lack of heart contractions, spontaneous breathing and any neuro-reflex reactions to external influences), the potential possibility of restoring its vital functions with the help of resuscitation methods remains.

Diagnosis of clinical death is based on a triad of signs: lack of consciousness (coma), breathing (determined by the method of catching a jet of air with the ear), pulse on large arteries (carotid and femoral). For the diagnosis of clinical death, it is not necessary to resort to instrumental studies (ECG, EEG, auscultation of the heart and lungs).

Biological death follows clinical and is characterized by the fact that irreversible changes in organs and systems occur against the background of ischemic damage. Its diagnosis is carried out on the basis of the presence of signs of clinical death, followed by the addition of early, and then late signs of biological death. Early signs of biological death include drying and clouding of the cornea and the symptom of "cat's eye" (to detect this symptom, you need to squeeze the eyeball; the symptom is considered positive if the pupil is deformed and stretched in length). Late signs of biological death include cadaveric spots and rigor mortis.

« Brain (social) death "- this diagnosis appeared in medicine with the development of resuscitation. Sometimes in the practice of resuscitators there are cases when, during resuscitation, it is possible to restore the activity of the cardiovascular system (CVS) in patients who were in a state of clinical death for more than 5-6 minutes, but these patients have already undergone irreversible changes in the cerebral cortex. The respiratory function in these situations can be maintained only by mechanical ventilation. All functional and objective methods of research confirm brain death. In fact, the patient becomes a "cardiopulmonary" drug. The so-called "persistent vegetative state" develops (Zilber A.P., 1995, 1998), in which the patient can stay in the intensive care unit for a long time (several years) and exist only at the level of vegetative functions.

Signs of biological death

Lack of consciousness.

Absence of heartbeat.

Absence of breath.

Clouding and drying of the cornea. Pupils wide do not react to light (there may be a cat's pupil due to softening of the eyeball).

Cadaverous spots appear on the underlying parts of the body (2 hours after the onset of clinical death)

Rigor mortis (hardening of muscle tissue) is determined 6 hours after the onset of clinical death.

Decreased body temperature (down to ambient temperature).

41. Basic methods of cardiopulmonary resuscitation.

Stages of resuscitation:

FROM. Ensuring the movement of blood through the vessels - an indirect heart massage. Hand pressing frequent and short. The point of application of the hands is the place of attachment of the 5th left rib to the sternum (2 transverse fingers above the xiphoid process). During pushing, the chest should approach the spine by 4-5 cm. It is carried out within 5 minutes, if it is ineffective, defibrillation is started (this is already stage D). 100 compressions per minute (30 compressions 2 breaths).

BUT.(air of open) - open access of air - correct laying of the patient, for men the trouser belt is unfastened, for women - everything that prevents breathing (belts, bras, etc.) is torn. foreign bodies are removed from the mouth. Laying the patient in the Safar position: the head is thrown back, the mouth is slightly opened, the lower jaw is advanced. - this ensures the patency of the airways.

B. artificial ventilation of the lungs - 5 artificial breaths of the patient are taken (if there is an obstacle in the larynx, a tracheostomy is done).

D. Mechanical defibrillation - precordial punch. Chemical defibrillation - the introduction of drugs that stimulate the activity of the heart. Electrical defibrillation is the action of an electric defibrillator.

Chemicals are injected only into a vein - atropine, adrenaline, calcium preparations.

Electrical defibrillation is carried out with a short pulsed discharge through the axis of the heart. They start with 3.5 thousand volts, the next discharge is increased by 500 volts and brought to 6 thousand volts (i.e. 6 discharges are obtained: 3.5 thousand V, 4 thousand V, 4.5 thousand V, 5 thousand V, 5.5 thousand V, 6 thousand V ). After intravenous injection of novocaine to reduce arrhythmias, stage C and D are carried out again. Continue repeating stages C and D 5-6 times.

Death is a phenomenon that one day overtakes every person. In medicine, it is described as an irreversible loss of function of the respiratory, cardiovascular and central nervous systems. Various signs indicate the moment of its onset.

The manifestations of this condition can be studied in several directions:

signs of biological death - early and late;
immediate symptoms.

What is death?

Hypotheses about what constitutes death vary across cultures and historical periods.

In modern conditions, it is stated when there is a cardiac, respiratory and circulatory arrest.

Considerations of society regarding the death of a person are not only of theoretical interest. Progress in medicine allows you to quickly and correctly establish the cause of this process and prevent it, if possible.

Currently, there are a number of issues discussed by doctors and researchers regarding death:

Is it possible to disconnect a person from the artificial life support apparatus without the consent of relatives?
Can a person die of his own free will if he personally asks not to take any measures aimed at preserving his life?
Can relatives or legal representatives make decisions regarding death if the person is unconscious and treatment is not helping?

People believe that death is the destruction of consciousness, and beyond its threshold the soul of the deceased passes into another world. But what is actually happening is still a mystery to society. Therefore, today, as already mentioned, we will focus on the following questions:

signs of biological death: early and late;
psychological aspects;
the reasons.

When the cardiovascular system ceases to function, disrupting the transport of blood, the brain, heart, liver, kidneys and other organs cease to function. It doesn't happen at the same time.

The brain is the first organ to lose its function due to lack of blood supply. A few seconds after the oxygen supply stops, the person loses consciousness. Further, the mechanism of metabolism ends its activity. After 10 minutes of oxygen starvation, brain cells die.

Survival of various organs and cells, calculated in minutes:

Brain: 8–10.
Heart: 15-30.
Liver: 30–35.
Muscles: 2 to 8 hours.
Sperm: 10 to 83 hours.

Statistics and reasons

The main factor in human death in developing countries is infectious diseases, in developed countries - atherosclerosis (heart disease, heart attack and stroke), cancer and others.

Of the 150,000 people who die worldwide, about ⅔ die of aging. In developed countries, this share is much higher and amounts to 90%.

Causes of biological death:

Smoking. In 1910, more than 100 million people died from it.
In developing countries, poor sanitation and lack of access to modern medical technology increase the death rate from infectious diseases. Most often people die from tuberculosis, malaria, AIDS.
Evolutionary cause of aging.
Suicide.
Car accident.

As you can see, the causes of death can be different. And this is not the whole list of reasons why people die.

In high-income countries, the majority of the population lives into their 70s, mostly dying from chronic diseases.

Signs of biological death (early and late) appear after the onset of clinical death. They occur immediately after the moment of cessation of brain activity.

Symptoms-harbingers

Immediate signs indicating death:

Insensitivity (loss of movement and reflexes).
Loss of EEG rhythm.
Stopping breathing.
Heart failure.

But signs such as loss of sensation, movement, respiratory arrest, lack of pulse, etc. may appear due to fainting, inhibition of the vagus nerve, epilepsy, anesthesia, electric shock. In other words, they can mean death only when they are associated with a complete loss of the EEG rhythm for a long period of time (more than 5 minutes).

Most people often ask themselves the sacramental question: “How will this happen and will I feel the approach of death?”. Today, there is no single answer to this question, since each person has different symptoms, depending on the existing disease. But there are general signs by which you can determine that in the near future a person will die.

Symptoms that appear when death approaches:

white tip of the nose;
cold sweat;
pale hands;
bad breath;
intermittent breathing;
irregular pulse;
drowsiness.

General information about initial symptoms

The exact line between life and death is difficult to define. The farther from the boundary, the clearer the difference between them. That is, the closer death is, the more visually noticeable it will be.

Early signs denote molecular or cellular death and last 12 to 24 hours.

Physical changes are characterized by the following early symptoms:

Drying of the cornea of the eyes.
When biological death occurs, metabolic processes stop. Consequently, all the heat in the human body goes out into the environment, and the corpse is cooled down. Medical professionals claim that the cooling time depends on the temperature in the room where the body is located.
Cyanosis of the skin begins within 30 minutes. It appears due to insufficient saturation of the blood with oxygen.
Dead spots. Their localization depends on the position of the person and on the disease with which he was ill. They arise due to the redistribution of blood in the body. They appear on average after 30 minutes.
Rigor mortis. It starts about two hours after death, goes from the upper limbs, slowly moving to the lower ones. Fully expressed rigor mortis is achieved in a time interval of 6 to 8 hours.

Pupil constriction is one of the initial symptoms

Beloglazov's symptom is one of the very first and most reliable manifestations in a deceased person. It is thanks to this sign that biological death can be determined without unnecessary examinations.

Why is it also called cat's eye? Because as a result of squeezing the eyeball, the pupil turns from round to oval, like in cats. This phenomenon really makes a dying human eye look like a cat's eye.

This sign is very reliable and appears due to any causes, the result of which was death. In a healthy person, the presence of such a phenomenon is impossible. Beloglazov's symptom appears due to the cessation of blood circulation and intraocular pressure, as well as due to dysfunction of muscle fibers due to death.

Late manifestations

Late signs are the decomposition of tissues, or putrefaction of the body. It is marked by the appearance of a greenish discoloration of the skin, which appears 12-24 hours after death.

Other manifestations of late signs:

Marbling is a network of marks on the skin that occurs after 12 hours and becomes noticeable after 36 to 48 hours.
Worms - begin to appear as a result of putrefactive processes.
The so-called cadaveric spots become visible approximately 2-3 hours after cardiac arrest. They occur because the blood is immobilized and therefore collects under the influence of gravity at certain points in the body. The formation of such spots can characterize the signs of biological death (early and late).
The muscles are relaxed at first, the process of muscle hardening takes from three to four hours.

When exactly the stage of biological death will be reached is impossible to determine in practice.

Main stages

There are three stages a person goes through in the process of dying.

The Society for Palliative Medicine divides the final stages of death as follows:

Predagonal phase. Despite the progression of the disease, the patient needs independence and an independent life, but he cannot afford this because he is between life and death. He needs good care. This phase refers to the last few months. It is at this moment that the patient feels some relief.
terminal phase. The limitations caused by the disease cannot be stopped, the symptoms accumulate, the patient becomes weaker and less active. This stage may begin several weeks before death.
The final phase describes the process of dying. It lasts a short period of time (a person either feels too good or very bad). A few days later the patient dies.

Terminal phase process

It is different for every person. Many of the dead shortly before death are determined by physical changes and signs that indicate its approach. Others may not have these symptoms.

Many dying people want to eat something tasty in the last few days. Others, on the contrary, have a poor appetite. Both of these are normal. But you need to know that the consumption of calories and fluid complicates the process of dying. It is believed that the body is less sensitive to changes if no nutrients are supplied for some time.

It is very important to monitor the oral mucosa, to ensure good and regular care so that there is no dryness. Therefore, a dying person should be given little water to drink, but often. Otherwise, problems such as inflammation, difficulty swallowing, pain and fungal infections can occur.

Many who die shortly before death become restless. Others do not perceive the impending death in any way, because they understand that there is nothing to fix. Often people are in a half-asleep state, their eyes dim.

Respiratory arrest may occur frequently, or it may be rapid. Sometimes breathing is very uneven, constantly changing.

And finally, changes in blood flow: the pulse is weak or fast, the body temperature drops, the hands and feet become cold. Shortly before death, the heart beats weakly, breathing is labored, brain activity decreases. A few minutes after the extinction of the cardiovascular system, the brain ceases to function, biological death occurs.

How is the examination of a dying person carried out?

The examination should be carried out quickly so that, if the person is alive, the patient can be sent to the hospital and appropriate measures can be taken. First you need to feel the pulse on the arm. If it is not palpable, then you can try to feel the pulse on the carotid artery by slightly pressing on it. Then listen to your breath with a stethoscope. Again, no signs of life were found? Then the doctor will need to do artificial respiration and heart massage.

If after the manipulations the patient has no pulse, then it is necessary to confirm the fact of death. To do this, open the eyelids and move the head of the deceased to the sides. If the eyeball is fixed and moves along with the head, then death has occurred.

By the eyes, there are several ways to determine for sure whether a person has died or not. For example, take a clinical flashlight and check your eyes for pupillary constriction. When a person dies, the pupils become narrow, clouding of the cornea appears. It loses its glossy appearance, but such a process does not always occur immediately. Especially in those patients who have been diagnosed with diabetes mellitus or have diseases associated with vision.

In case of doubt, ECG and EEG monitoring can be done. An ECG within 5 minutes will show whether a person is alive or dead. The absence of waves on the EEG confirms death (asystole).

Diagnosing death is not easy. In some cases, difficulties arise due to suspended animation, excessive use of sedatives and hypnotics, hypothermia, alcohol intoxication, etc.

Psychological aspects

Thanatology is an interdisciplinary field of study dealing with the study of death. This is a relatively new discipline in the scientific world. In the 1950s and 60s, research opened the way to the psychological aspect of this problem, and programs began to be developed to help overcome deeply emotional problems.

Scientists have identified several stages through which a dying person goes:

Negation.
Fear.
Depression.
Adoption.

According to most experts, these stages do not always occur in the same order as indicated above. They can be mixed and complemented by a sense of hope or horror. Fear is a contraction, oppression from a sense of impending danger. A feature of fear is intense mental discomfort from the fact that the dying person cannot correct future events. The reaction to fear can be: nervous or dyspeptic disorder, dizziness, sleep disturbance, trembling, sudden loss of control over excretory functions.

Not only the dying person, but also his relatives and friends go through stages of denial and acceptance. The next stage is the grief that comes after death. As a rule, it is more difficult to bear if the person did not know about the condition of the relative. In this phase, there is sleep disturbance and loss of appetite. Sometimes there is a feeling of fear and anger due to the fact that nothing can be changed. Later, sadness turns into depression and loneliness. At some point, the pain subsides, vital energy returns, but psychological trauma can accompany a person for a long period.

The departure of a person from life can be carried out at home, but in most cases such people are placed in a hospital in the hope of being helped and saved.

Biological death is an irreversible stop of all biological processes in the body. Please note that today timely cardiopulmonary resuscitation helps to start the heart and restore breathing. In medicine, natural (physiological) death is distinguished, as well as premature (pathological). As a rule, the second death is sudden, occurs after a violent murder or an accident.

Causes of biological death

The primary reasons are :

Damage that is incompatible with life.
Profuse bleeding.
Concussion, squeezing of vital organs.
State of shock.

Secondary reasons include:

Various .
The strongest intoxication of the body.
non-communicable diseases.

Symptoms of death

It is on the basis of some signs that death is ascertained. First, the heart stops, the person stops breathing, and after 4 hours a large number of cadaveric spots appear. Rigor numbness occurs due to circulatory arrest.

How to recognize biological death?

There is no respiratory and cardiac activity - there is no pulse on the carotid artery, the beat of the heart is inaudible.
Absence of cardiac activity for more than half an hour.
The pupils are maximally dilated, while there is no corneal reflex, there is no reaction to light.
Hypostasis (the appearance of dark blue spots on the body).

Please note that the listed signs do not always indicate the death of a person. The same symptomatology appears in case of severe hypothermia of the body, which depresses the effect of drugs on the nervous system.

It is important to understand that biological death does not mean that all organs and tissues immediately die. It all depends on the individual characteristics of the organism. First of all, the tissue dies (subcortical structure, cerebral cortex), but the spinal, stem sections die later.

The heart after death can be viable for two hours, and the liver and kidneys live for about four hours. The longest viable tissue is muscle, skin. Bone tissue can retain its functions for several days.

Early and late signs of death

Within an hour, the following symptoms appear:

The appearance on the body of Larcher spots (triangles of dried skin).
Cat's eye syndrome (elongated pupil shape during squeezing of the eyes).
Cloudy pupil with white film.
The lips become brown, thick and wrinkled.

Attention! If all of the above symptoms are present, resuscitation is not carried out. It is meaningless in this case.

Late symptoms include:

Spots on the body of a marble color.
Cooling of the body, because the temperature drops.

When does the doctor declare death?

The doctor reports the death of the patient in the absence of:

motor response to pain.
Consciousness.
Corneal reflex.
Cough, gag reflex.

To confirm brain death, the doctor uses instrumental diagnostic methods:

Electroencephalography.
Angiography.
Ultrasonography.
Magnetic resonance angiography.

The main stages of biological death

Predagony- sharply suppressed or completely absent. In this case, the skin turns pale, it is poorly palpable on the carotid, femoral artery, the pressure drops to zero. The patient's condition deteriorates sharply.
Terminal pause is an intermediate stage between life and death. If resuscitation is not carried out in a timely manner, the person will die.
Agony- the brain ceases to control all physiological processes.

In the case of the negative impact of destructive processes, the above stages are absent. As a rule, the first and last stages last several minutes or days.

Medical diagnosis of biological death

In order not to be mistaken in death, many experts use different tests and methods:

Winslow test- a vessel filled with water is placed on the chest of a dying person, with the help of vibration they learn about respiratory activity.
Auscultation , palpation of the central, peripheral vessels.
Magnus test - tightly pull the finger, if it is gray-white, then the person has died.

Previously, more stringent samples were used. For example, the José test involved pinching the skin fold with special forceps. During the Desgrange test, boiling oil was injected into the nipple. But during the Raze test, red-hot iron was used, heels and other parts of the body were burned with it.

Assistance to the victim

Timely resuscitation makes it possible to return the functions of vital system organs. We draw attention to the following algorithm of assistance:

Immediately eliminate the damaging factor - squeezing the body, electricity, low or high temperature.
Save the victim from adverse conditions - take out of the burning room, pull out of the water.
First aid will depend on the type of disease, injury.
Urgent transport of the victim to the hospital.

Attention! It is important to properly transport the patient. If he is unconscious, it is best to carry him on his side.

If you are providing first aid, be sure to adhere to the following principles:

Actions should be quick, expedient, calm, deliberate.
Realistically evaluate the environment.
Don't panic, you need to assess what state the person is in. To do this, you need to learn about the nature of the injury, disease.
Call an ambulance or transport the victim yourself.

Thus, biological death is the end of human life. It is very important to distinguish it from, in the latter case, the victim can be helped. If, nevertheless, it was not possible to avoid a tragic situation, you should not take action on your own, you should immediately call an ambulance. The sooner resuscitation methods are used, the greater the chance that a person will survive.