From another list: > Death Process From Starvation > > Friday March 18, 2005 9:16 PM > > By The Associated Press > The general process of death for patients whose food and hydration > tubes are withdrawn: -Day One: The percutaneous endoscopic > gastrotomy tube, which is placed through the skin and into the > stomach, is removed in a simple surgical procedure. Patients who do > not have mental cognition to have a sense of thirst or hunger will > not be uncomfortable. - Days Three to Four: Urine output decreases > and patients begin to lose normal body secretions. The mouth begins > to look dry and the eyes appear sunken. Patients will look thinner > because the body tissues have lost fluid. Their heart rate > gradually goes up and their blood pressure goes down. In some > patients, dehydration releases endorphins in the brain that create > a state of euphoria. - Days Five to 10: People who are alert have a > marked decrease in their alertness. Respiration becomes irregular > with periods of very fast and then very slow breathing. Some > patients will become restless, while others will be less active. > For patients in a persistent vegetative state, there may be no > discernible change in their movements. - Days 10 to Death: Patients > do not appear to respond to their environment at all and may appear > to be in a coma. Length of death process is determined by how well- > nourished patient was and how much body fat and fluid they had when > procedure began. May be outward signs of dehydration, such as > extremely dry skin. Kidney function declines and toxins begin > accumulating in the body. Toxins cause respiratory muscles to fail. > Multiple organ systems begin to fail from lack of nutrition. > > Source: LifePath Hospice. > > http://www.guardian.co.uk/uslatest/story/0,1282,-4876256,00.html >
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