Total body disruption is the acute, fatal destruction of the body.
Synonymous terminology from the field of
emergency medical services
Emergency medical services (EMS), also known as ambulance services, pre-hospital care or paramedic services, are emergency services that provide urgent pre-hospital treatment and stabilisation for serious illness and injuries and transport to d ...
(EMS) is gross dismemberment.
Commonly referred to as being "blown up", "blown apart", or "dashed to pieces" in older literature,
total body disruption may be caused by such traumas as being within or in close proximity to a powerful
explosion
An explosion is a rapid expansion in volume of a given amount of matter associated with an extreme outward release of energy, usually with the generation of high temperatures and release of high-pressure gases. Explosions may also be generated ...
,
uncontrolled decompression, or
implosion. It is the most severe type of
blast injury.
Gross dismemberment may also be caused by a fall at
terminal velocity onto a solid surface or water; from being within a high-speed crashing object, such as in high-speed
aircraft crashes; or during incidents involving high
pressure differentials, where the body may be forced through a small crevice, as in the
Byford Dolphin diving bell accident, or
compressed rapidly, as in the
Titan submersible implosion.
Total body disruption is invariably fatal to most complex life, such as humans, as structures necessary for continued survival are destroyed or otherwise rendered non-functional. In the case of humans, the brain (if not destroyed) is deprived of
oxygenated blood
Blood is a body fluid in the circulatory system of humans and other vertebrates that delivers necessary substances such as nutrients and oxygen to the Cell (biology), cells, and transports Metabolic waste, metabolic waste products away from th ...
, while other organs (if not destroyed) are deprived of the
involuntary functions.
[ ] In some jurisdictions, gross dismemberment is an assessment where EMS personnel may declare death on scene.
Incomplete, initially unidentifiable human remains caused by total body disruption may be referred to as "disassociated portions".
See also
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Decapitation
Decapitation is the total separation of the head from the body. Such an injury is invariably fatal to humans and all vertebrate animals, since it deprives the brain of oxygenated blood by way of severing through the jugular vein and common c ...
*
Dismemberment
Dismemberment is the act of completely disconnecting and/or removing the limbs, skin, and/or organs from a living or dead being. It has been practiced upon human beings as a form of capital punishment, especially in connection with regicid ...
*
Hemicorporectomy
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Incompatible with life
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Blowing from a gun
Causes of death
References
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