Oh, how I love this. DLP: the one place where you can ask questions like that and are not looked at funnily. Or at least not more than usual. (I mean, can't you just imagine the situation in RL -- So, guys, if I wanted to, like, stab someone, but didn't want him to die yet, how would I do it? Err, that is to say, not me, but rather, I want to write about someone, and he wants to ... Riiiiiiiight.)

Anyway, this has been helpful for me as well, but I have some more questions (that I'm asking this while writing BTLCL is purely coincidental. Really. Really really).

If I were to blast off or cut out someones throat (you know, the front part, voice box and what have you -- I'm afraid that this is where my English begins to leave me) -- would that person die instantly? Or could I at least keep them alive for a few more minutes (through whatever means, after all, we have magic).

Well, I'd need the heart still beating for like a minute or two. The rest isn't important. Also, what would be a realistic reaction? A fountain of blood, because that's where the carotid is?

Sorry if that sounds dumb, but I never was all that great in biology (took chemistry in school instead, besides physics).

And then, to remove that heart, what is in the way? You cut away the flesh, then cut out some parts of the ribcage, and then you see the heart?

I hope we have some med-experts here

 

Rip out someone's throat and they'll die very quickly because you're completely cutting off the supply of blood to their brain. I'd imagine they'd have a few seconds before they die, and they wouldn't be able to scream. Blood would probably come out in spurts that get progressively weaker and less frequent. I'm not a doctor, so I could be wrong, this is just what I think would happen.

And the heart is in the centre of the chest about nipple height, with the largest part usually to the left (some people have it the other way round). It's directly underneath the breastbone which will break during CPR.

 

Actually, you've got that the wrong way round. I was on a life-saving course last year. I have a little piece of paper saying I can give CPR, MTM, the abdominal thrust, bandage someone and put limbs in makeshift splints.

Fun fact: The Heimlich maneuver was renamed the abdominal thrust, because dumb Americans were suing Heimlich for broke ribs when it was performed incorrectly on them.

 

O_O What the hell do you do in your spare time, Banner?

 

Well, not by me, at any rate.

Bellatrix on a mission, obviously ... ;D

No, I think the way through the ribs will do just fine. And there is no need for a saw, Banner. What are cutting spells for? Although -- working with a pry bar sounds cool (actually a pry bar is just that cool in general, at least since Half-Life).

What would I do with it, pulling the broken ribs out?


But yeah, my main problem was that I didn't know if there still was something between ribs and heart. From what I read at wikipedia, it sounds like there is just some sort of sac around it and the lungs next to it. Oh and wouldn't you know, I just realised that we are talking about a female heart. Completely forgot about that

Well, damn. Any ideas on how long the heart would continue beating?

 

I asked Tinn in irc and this is what came of it;

<Oz> Tinn:If I ripped out your throat, how long would your heart keep beating?
<Oz>
<Oz> Hypothetically of course
<Mors> Of course
<Tinn>Oz: not long, because it would quickly pump all the blood out of my severed carotids, and this at high pressure and speed.
<Oz> I know..
<Oz> But I'm thinking about 10 seconds though?
<Tinn> I don't know the exact mechanisms.

Make of it what you will. I think it's about 10 seconds, but Tinn (the actual med student) doesn't know.

 

Oz:

Well, that does help, actually. It means I will have to stop the bleeding by somehow sealing the open carotids, to gain a little more time. (Random spell for that) And that should be long enough, then.

Thanks for the help, to Tinny as well. I hope she doesn't think you're planning something, now...

Seratin:

No, the point of it all is what Oz mentioned

Bellatrix feels disturbed while working, so Muggle gets shut up.

 

It was no problem on my part, and Timm seemed to take it all in stride

 

I hereby officially dub this thread,

FUCKING AWESOME!
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