User Contributed Dictionary
Derived terms
Extensive Definition
Exsanguination (also known colloquially as
bleeding out) is the fatal process of total hypovolemia (blood loss). It
is most commonly known as "bleeding to death". The word
itself originated from Latin: ex ("out of") and sanguis
("blood").
Slaughter of animals in meat industry
Exsanguination is used primarily in the meat
industry, as a method of slaughter. In some places,
before the incision is made, a device called a captive
bolt is used. The device is placed against the skull of the
animal, and penetrates to cause tissue destruction in the brain incapacitating the animal so
that the procedure may take place. This procedure may not be used
everywhere, and its use is forbidden for halal and kosher slaughter.
While the animal is incapacitated, a knife is
fully inserted through the skin just behind the point of the
jaw and below the neck
bones. From this position the knife is drawn forward severing the
jugular
vein, carotid
artery, and trachea. Properly performed,
blood should flow freely with death occurring within a few
minutes.
Beyond the initial cost of purchasing a captive
bolt, continued usage of the method is very inexpensive. The animal
is incapacitated for the duration of the procedure, so it is one of
the safest methods for the slaughterer.
Slaughter by exsanguination is mandated by Judaic
kashrut and Islamic
halal dietary laws.
However, the captive bolt is forbidden in both religions.
Cause of human death
Exsanguination is a relatively uncommon and dramatic cause of death in humans. It might be more precise to say that exsanguination is a mode of death rather than a cause, since the fact of exsanguination will have some underlying cause. It is essentially bleeding to death. Exsanguination is a suicide method caused by cutting of arteries, notably: carotid, radial, brachial, ulnar, and femoral arteries.Trauma (injury) can cause exsanguination if
bleeding is not stymied. It is the most common cause of deaths on
the battlefield (though the most common cause of death from battle
is infection). Non-battlefield causes can include partial or
complete amputation
from use of circular
saws (e.g., hand-held circular saw, radial arm
saw, table
saw).
Patients can also develop catastrophic internal
hemorrhages, such as
from a bleeding peptic ulcer
or splenic hemorrhage,
which can cause exsanguination even without any external bleeding.
It is a relatively common cause of unexpected, sudden death in
patients who seemed previously well.
Alcoholics can also suffer from exsanguination.
Thin-walled dilated veins just below the lower esophageal mucosa
called esophageal
varices may ulcerate or be torn ("Mallory-Weiss
syndrome") during the violent vomiting of the alcohol leading
to massive bleeding and sometimes exsanguination.