MEDICAL BIOLOGY, ANATOMY, HUMAN PHYSIOLOGY AND PATHOLOGY - Ya.I. Fedoniuk 2010

BIOLOGY

SECTION 1. BIOLOGICAL FOUNDATIONS OF HUMAN VITAL ACTIVITY

1.4. ONTOGENETIC LEVEL OF LIFE ORGANIZATION

1.4.3. Biology of Individual Development

Clinical and Biological Death

Individual development inevitably culminates in death, which is the irreversible cessation of an Organism's vital Functions. In higher animals and humans, natural and premature death are distinguished. Natural, or physiological, death occurs As a result of natural biological Aging, whereas premature, or pathological, death is caused by disease or accident. Accidental death can occur at any stage of ontogenesis. Death consists of two successive stages: 1) clinical death and 2) biological death. The signs of clinical death include loss of consciousness, absence of heartbeat, and cessation of breathing. However, the majority of Cells and Organs remain viable, and their METABOLISM retains a degree of Organization. Clinical death is followed by biological death, during which metabolism becomes completely disorganized, and cellular autolysis (self-Digestion) and decomposition begin. These processes unfold at varying rates across different Tissues. The Cerebral Cortex is the first to perish, undergoing irreversible changes within 5-7 minutes of the onset of clinical death. Hair and Nails continue to grow for several days thereafter. Because clinical death serves as an intermediary phase between life and biological death, resuscitation (revival of the organism) remains possible during this window in cases of premature death, provided that vital organs are not terminally damaged. Resuscitation Procedures include Artificial ventilation, Blood transfusion, and cardiac massage for a stopped Heart. To prolong the duration of clinical death, induced systemic hypothermia (cooling of the body) is utilized. The branch of science dedicated to organismal resuscitation is known as reanimatology.