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MM asked in HealthOther - Health · 1 decade ago

how much blood can you lose before it is too late to replace.?

I KNOW THAT 40% REQUIRES IMMEDIATE ATTENTION. WHAT I WANT TO KNOW IS AT WHAT POINT IS IT TO LATE FOR HELP? CAN A DOCTOR DECIDE TO TREAT OR NOT TREAT BASED ON THE AMOUNT OF BLOOD LOSS? AT WHAT TIME IS SHOCK CONSIDERED IRREVERSIBLE.

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  • rosieC
    Lv 7
    1 decade ago
    Favorite Answer

    Bleeding, technically known as hemorrhaging is the loss of blood from the circulatory system.

    The complete loss of blood is referred to as exsanguination, and desanguination is a massive blood loss. Loss of 10-15% of total blood volume can be endured without clinical sequelae in a healthy person, and blood donation typically takes 8-10% of the donor's blood volume

    The average adult has a total blood volume of approximately 5,000 to 6,000 ml (milimeters) ) and can usually lose 500 ml such as in childbirth; of blood without serious or lasting effects; but, if the loss reaches 1,000 ml or more, serious acute consequences may result.

    Bleeding generally becomes dangerous, or even fatal, when it causes hypovolemia (low blood volume) or hypotension (low blood pressure). Hypotension usually is a late finding because of the activation of compensatory mechanisms

    This involves a Class IV Hemorrhage or loss of >40% of circulating blood volume. The limit of the body's compensation is reached and aggressive resuscitation is required to prevent death

    Shock is the result of circulatory dysfunction, and it is characterized by failure to provide adequate quantities of oxygen and other nutrients to meet the metabolic requirements of the body's tissues.

    In compensated shock, neurologic status usually remains normal, but the pulse rate may be persistently elevated, the skin mottled, the extremities cool due to increased systemic vascular resistance, the capillary refilling prolonged, and the urinary output decreased

    Capillary refilling time measured in the fingernail bed should be less than 2 seconds. This may be prolonged by hypotension, dehydration, hypothermia, hyponatremia, and cardiac failure; a time greater than 4 seconds indicates a critical problem.

    Progression to uncompensated and irreversible shock, as manifested by hypotension, severe acidosis, oliguria or anuria, and lethargy and coma, can usually be prevented through early intervention.

    Source(s): professional nurse
  • 1 decade ago

    There is no set amount of blood loss that would make us throw our hands up in the air and say the situation is beyond retrieval. Shock is considered irreversible when the code is called, cardio-pulmonary support is stopped, and the person is pronounced dead.

    Usually no one is measuring the blood lost when someone is bleeding out. It is often all over the place. I've seen several people bleed out from a lung cancer eroding into a major pulmonary vessel. They cough blood all over the room. No one gathered it up to measure.

    I've seen an abdominal aortic aneurysm rupture in the ER. Maybe the surgeon could measure that contained blood at the time of emergency surgery, but I did not go to the O.R. with this person.

    I've seen people vomit blood from a rapid gastric bleed. That is mixed with gastric fluids.

    People who bleed at the scene of auto accidents also have an unknown volume of blood lost.

    There is no one answer to this. Everyone is different. Maybe that will become a new Guinness book of records challenge - how much blood can you lose and not die. A 24 year old conditioned athlete will tolerate much more blood loss than a 78 year old person with heart disease.

    Source(s): MD internal medicine, hematology and oncology
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  • Anonymous
    1 decade ago

    Around 25% is when it would be too late for the victim.

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