How is it possible for an embalmed body to bleed?!
Question: My co-worker recently had a friend die. He was 29 years old and 300 pounds(from what she has told me) and he died of a massive heart attack.
She attended the viewing last night and something very strange happened. The body of this young man had been enbalmed but for some reason his nose began to bleed(like a lot) and everyone was forced to leave the viewing area.
I dont know much about embalming but from what i am told all of the blood is removed(which i find hard to believe, but any who). So i have been trying to find the reason for this bleeding online but havent been very successful.
so the question is, how is this possible?
Answers: My co-worker recently had a friend die. He was 29 years old and 300 pounds(from what she has told me) and he died of a massive heart attack.
She attended the viewing last night and something very strange happened. The body of this young man had been enbalmed but for some reason his nose began to bleed(like a lot) and everyone was forced to leave the viewing area.
I dont know much about embalming but from what i am told all of the blood is removed(which i find hard to believe, but any who). So i have been trying to find the reason for this bleeding online but havent been very successful.
so the question is, how is this possible?
What she most likely saw was purge, this is a fluid that rises us from the stomach/chest cavity and releases through the nose. Purge is somewhat more common in heavier people.
The majority of the blood is removed during the embalming process, though not all, that would be impossible due to the tiny veins and capillaries.
As for Phantom's answer, she shouldn't answer questions about embalming based on one paper she wrote in school, because it certainly did not make her an expert on the topic of embalming. There is much, much more to it than the "oh, blame the funeral directors, they did a bang up job." It isn't that simple, purge can happen to anyone at anytime, not to say preventatve measures can't be taken, but every funeral director has experienced purge before, and not always at opportune times!! Her answer is incorrect on a few levels, there are many explanations for this happening, one (and most likely), purge, though not necessarily the fault of the funeral home.
enbalming doesn't mean that they remove all the blood. they just pump a lot of enbalming fluid into it to keep it from decomposing. it's a common misconception that all the blood is removed. they also puncture all the major organs with a big wand thing and put fluid in those too. what probably happened is that it wasn't done properly and gases built up in the body and caused some pressure which resulted in the bleeding.
that is weird, though.
You bleed out after you die if the blood hasnt all been removed or somethng could have poped
That is weird because right when someone DIES even, way before embalming, they don't bleed anymore.
You (your co worker or whoever) should really check into that, contact the place that does the embalming/viewing.
What you saw was not blood, but probably leaking embalming fluid mixed with bloody residue. Arterial injection embalming (the most common method) uses large bore cannulas to access the major vessels in the neck, groin and sometimes the abdominal cavity. If the flush from the solution is not performed correctly, or if the deceased has medical or physical issues which prevent the fluids from circulating completely, the embalming fluid can pool in various areas and leak out of orifices (this is called 'purge' in the industry). Purge can also occur naturally after death, as this has happened to me many a time in the hospital when preparing a body for transport to the mortuary. Basically, when you die, the cells start to liquefy. What you saw was the result of either natural purge from the nose, or from incomplete embalming, and the resulting leak from the nose of embalming fluid. They usually put cotton or some sort of absorbent plugs in the nose, mouth and anal-genital orifices to prevent this kind of embarrassing and gross display. The mortuary should be rightly ashamed for not taking this possibility into account on such a large decedent.
A good book to read to get references on funeral practices and embalming is called "death to dust or what happens to us after we die." I am sorry that I cannot recall the author at this point.
All blood and body gases ARE supposed to be removed from the body by the mortuary. It may be that in this case, the job wasn't done thoroughly. Next time you have a few minutes to spare, stop by a mortuary and ask about this.
Forget my answer. "Phantom" gave you the best answer!