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Death in Hours

The femoral arteries play a major role in the circulatory system, delivering large amounts of oxygenated blood to the legs.
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The femoral arteries play a major role in the circulatory system, delivering large amounts of oxygenated blood to the legs.

At a road traffic accident a driver is found unconscious at the wheel with multiple injuries. A shard of metal appears to have lodged itself in the driver’s leg. Judging by the amount of blood they are losing it has most likely severed the femoral artery.The femoral arteries play a major role in the circulatory system, delivering large amounts of oxygenated blood to the legs. If left to bleed out it will have a serious impact on the body’s circulation as a whole.Not only will the leg affected suffer as a result of the blood loss but also the heart will struggle to pump blood to the rest of the body. This task will increase in difficulty as the heart’s own supply of blood gradually lessens.
As the patient’s blood pressure drops it becomes even more difficult to deliver oxygenated blood to the brain. The patient may well pass out. Clamping the femoral artery is essential. If the bleeding is not stopped the patient will die in a matter of hours.With the artery clamped and the bleeding stopped, the patient’s condition can be stabilised. However, depending upon how much blood has been lost, they may need a transfusion to bring their circulation back up to normal.
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