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Death in Minutes

As the windpipe is blocked, so too is the body’s means of getting vital oxygen to the lungs, bloodstream and brain.
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As the windpipe is blocked, so too is the body’s means of getting vital oxygen to the lungs, bloodstream and brain.

At a road traffic accident a driver is found unconscious at the wheel with multiple injuries. The driver appears not to be breathing. Something is blocking their windpipe but cardiopulmonary resuscitation is not possible because of trauma to their face.As the windpipe is blocked, so too is the body’s means of getting vital oxygen to the lungs, bloodstream and brain. If left untreated, expelled carbon dioxide can build up in the lungs and be reabsorbed at increasingly dangerous levels. Meanwhile, the lungs will cease to perform their function of oxygenating blood.As oxygen-depleted blood pumps through the body, it is a race against time before the brain will starve and cease to function, causing the rest of the body to shut down. Unless their airway is cleared, the person could die in just four minutes.
With the windpipe clear, oxygen can once again enter the lungs, while carbon dioxide can be exhaled. As oxygen levels return to normal so too should brain function.
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