5 signs of imminent death, the appearance of which you need to act immediately
Miscellaneous / / June 13, 2022
If you call an ambulance in time, everything can be fine.
Sometimes death comes suddenly. For example, cardiac arrest, from which people most often die between 30 and 40 years old, in half of the cases comesSudden Cardiac Death/Cleveland Clinic without prior symptoms and kills in minutes.
At the same time, many deadly conditions still leave some margin of time during which a person can be saved. Below we list five symptoms that you should be on the lookout for.
These signs do not necessarily indicate a danger to life, but together with other symptoms, and even more so in the presence of serious diseases, they require immediate medical attention.
1. pupils of different diameters
This state calledAnisocoria/Cleveland Clinic anisocoria. It can occur with a stroke, a brain tumor, meningitis, or an aneurysm of the cerebral vessels - a protrusion of the wall of a cerebral artery, which can result in a hemorrhage.
But at the same time, pupils can be of different diameters for other, less dangerous reasons, including migraine and glaucoma, use of eye drops, or reactions to narcotic substances.
Call an ambulance if, in addition to pupil changes, observedAnisocoria/Cleveland Clinic at least one of the following symptoms:
- sagging eyelids;
- Pain in the eyes;
- blurry or double vision;
- sensitivity to light;
- pain and stiffness in the neck;
- acute headache;
- blood in sputum;
- fever;
- nausea or vomiting.
2. Blue discoloration of the skin
Blue lips, tongue, gums, ears, and skin under the nails can indicateBlue skin or lips (cyanosis) / NHS cyanosis is a condition in which body tissues do not receive enough oxygen from the blood. It may occur:
- with diseases of the respiratory system, such as asthma or pneumonia;
- blockage of the airways, for example due to food stuck in them or suffocation;
- heart failure or other cardiac diseases.
Of course, lips can turn blue and just from the cold, and fingers - from too much tight ring. In addition, beta-blockers, drugs for high blood pressure, can cause cyanosis.
But if there are no obvious reasons, and the person has problems with the heart and lungs, it is necessary to take him to the hospital as soon as possible.
3. hallucinations
Changes in the chemical balance of the brain can callChanges in the last hours and days / NHS confusion or hallucinations. Yes, in book “We are our brains. From the womb to Alzheimer's, neuroscientist Dick Swaab cites several common near-death visions:
- sliding through a tunnel at the end of which light is visible;
- pleasant music, from which goosebumps run down the skin - sometimes it is also called "angelic voices";
- magnificent landscapes with amazing colors and wonderful birds;
- leaving the body and looking at yourself from the side or from above;
- the appearance of deceased relatives or friends, religious characters;
- visions of a past life that flash before your eyes.
This condition can occur if the brain experiences a lack of oxygen, such as during cardiac arrest, as well as at a very high temperature.
Also, the proximity of death can manifest itself in the form anxiety and restlessness when a person tries to get out of bed, even if unable to do so.
4. Bradycardia or tachycardia
At rest, the pulse ranges from 60 to 100 beats per minute. If the heart beats less often, but the person does not sleep and is not a well-trained athlete, this may indicateBradycardia / Cleveland Clinic to a life-threatening condition.
If, in addition to bradycardia, there are problems with breathing, weakness, confusion and pain in chest, most likely, the heart cannot cope with pumping blood, and the body does not receive enough oxygen.
The above symptoms may endBradycardia / Mayo Clinic heart attack and sudden cardiac arrest, so when they appear, you must immediately call an ambulance.
Also, before sudden cardiac arrest, ariseSudden Cardiac Death/Cleveland Clinic the opposite effect is a rapid heartbeat and the resulting anxiety.
If you ever had heart attack or you suffer from coronary heart disease, in case of unexplained tachycardia, call an ambulance immediately.
5. convulsions
Not all cases of seizures are life-threatening. Involuntary muscle contractions can occur, for example, due to muscle strain during physical activity, overheating and dehydration, psychological stress and many other reasons.
As a rule, those that are associated with pre-existing diseases are life-threatening. Seizures may ariseG. Tradounsky. Seizures in palliative care / Canadian family physician due to stroke or damage to brain structures: tumors or metastases, abscesses, hemorrhages, radiation necrosis.
Also, the cause may be high body temperature, lack of oxygen, hypo- and hyperglycemia (a sharp decrease or increase in blood sugar levels), uremia and liver failure.
Costs callMuscle cramp / Mayo Clinic ambulance:
- if you suffer from serious diseases associated with impaired functioning of the heart, brain or liver;
- you have type 1 or type 2 diabetes;
- convulsions cause acute discomfort;
- there is swelling and redness of the legs;
- you feel muscle weakness;
- seizures occur frequently;
- the problem is not associated with obvious causes such as heavy exercise, excessive sweating and overheating.
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