22-01-2011, 01:45 AM
Lauren Johnson Wrote:Ed Jewett Wrote:How long does massive internal trauma to the aorta take before it fells its victim? Not long... but perhaps long enough to allow some ambulatory movement.
A severe wound to the aorta would result in a sudden and dramatic loss of blood pressure. The brain would lose perfusion instantly resulting in a loss of consciousness in 5 to 10 seconds. (I used to work in a radiology department. If a patient in the cath lab went into a severe arrhythmia, loss of consciousness was in this range.) I gotta doubt your scenario.
Lauren, we're in agreement, sort of. (I was an EMT, deeply involved in emergency medicine and trauma management issues...)
If the Judge took a direct hit or even a glancing ripping blow to the aorta from a Glock round from Loughner, he'd have collapsed on the spot, not continued to toss himself nimbly into harm's way over another bystander.
If he took a shot that created a tiny tear in the aorta, it might have bought him some extra beats on a metronome, but little precious time otherwise because of the pressure from the LV output. The tear would have widened rapidly, if not instantaneously.
If, however, he was not hit instantly by a ropund from Loughner's Glock and dove to the ground in reaction to cover another and then took a hit in the back that did any damage to the aorta, he was not getting up.
Let's go the tapes, and the autopsy....
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