# Crushed-and-alive-until-uncrushed-then-immediately-dead stories...any true? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 19, 2010, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crushed-and-alive-until-uncrushed-then-immediately-dead-stories-any-true/525567 "2010-01-19T16:17:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Chief\_Pedant](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a6a055/32.png) [@Chief\_Pedant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chief_Pedant)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2010, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crushed-and-alive-until-uncrushed-then-immediately-dead-stories-any-true/525567/41 "2010-01-21T02:33:40Z")
> [@phouka](#): > > My understanding is that the toxins released by rhabdomyelosis caused by a crush or ischemic injury can cause not only kidney damage but also a potentially fatal cardiac arrhythmia. > > It was portrayed in _House_ when they showed the origin of his limp. He suffered a blood clot to his right thigh muscle (ischemic attack). The toxins released by the dying muscle caused his urine to turn brown - indicating rhabdomyelosis and kidney damage - and a short time later, House ordered a nurse to bring an injection (calcium? Potassium?) as he predicted his own cardiac arrest. > > These days, I think they keep very close tabs on EKGs of people who’ve suffered muscle damage due to a crush or ischemic injury. I do not watch House but the scenario you describe suggests that the concern was hyperkalemia (high potassium). See my post above for how this might happen. Potassium is contained inside the cells, so damaging the cells releases potassium. High potassium in the blood stream (instead of inside the cells) can cause cardiac arrest. Acute hyperkalemia creates some fairly pathognomonic EKG changes so EKG monitoring can suggest hyperkalemia faster than waiting for a blood test to be returned. When we see those changes and suspect hyperkalemia we administer calcium intravenously immediately as it helps counteract the effect until we can do other things to actually lower the potassium level. From your description, the House timing was a little different; perhaps they proposed a scenario where acute renal failure precipitated by rhadomyolysis caused an inability to clear potassium (excess potassium is normally peed out if you have normal kidneys) and only then did the excess potassium load from the crushed cells become clinically significant. Without having seen the show I can’t comment. A very high immediate intravenous load of potassium will kill you even with normal kidneys because they don’t have time to clear it. MAST trousers, as referenced, have largely fallen out of favor for most traumatic emergencies. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2010, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crushed-and-alive-until-uncrushed-then-immediately-dead-stories-any-true/525567/42 "2010-01-21T03:56:40Z")
> [@picunurse](#): > > See post # 29. The suit you’re talking about is actually Military anti-shock trousers, or MAST pants. They come just above the waist. I think my Grampa has a pair of those. ---
**Author:** ![picunurse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7bcc69/32.png) [@picunurse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/picunurse)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2010, 6:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crushed-and-alive-until-uncrushed-then-immediately-dead-stories-any-true/525567/43 "2010-01-21T06:26:37Z")
> [@Chief Pedant](#): > > MAST trousers, as referenced, have largely fallen out of favor for most traumatic emergencies. You’re correct, I was just comparing their effect with that of a lower body crush injury. I didn’t mean to confuse. Remember, I’m an old bat. I was involved with the removal of said pants a few times, most often, incorrectly, by impatient surgeons. Of course that was 20, wait no, more like 30 years ago. (damn, how diid I get this old?!?) ---
**Author:** ![LurkerInNJ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ed655f/32.png) [@LurkerInNJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LurkerInNJ)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2010, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crushed-and-alive-until-uncrushed-then-immediately-dead-stories-any-true/525567/44 "2010-02-18T00:11:02Z")
They just had a death where a man was bisected by a semi, and his two halves accidentally each got sent to two different hospitals on 1,000 Ways To Die show on Spike TV. He was conscious, screaming, and survived for a few hours. [Paramount Network](http://www.spike.com/video/1000-ways-to-die/2978158) How awful to be aware of an injury like that. ---
**Author:** ![si\_blakely](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d9b06d/32.png) [@si\_blakely](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/si_blakely)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2010, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crushed-and-alive-until-uncrushed-then-immediately-dead-stories-any-true/525567/45 "2010-02-18T14:00:45Z")
This recent [New Scientist article](http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20527464.300-headache-pill-could-save-earthquake-crush-victims.html) references the use of paracetamol (acetaminophen) to block rhabdomyolysis products produced by crush injuries from destroying the kidneys. Si ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_Robson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gary_robson/32/3448_2.png) [@Gary\_Robson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_Robson)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2010, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crushed-and-alive-until-uncrushed-then-immediately-dead-stories-any-true/525567/46 "2010-02-18T20:37:51Z")
> [@LurkerInNJ](#): > > They just had a death where a man was bisected by a semi, and his two halves accidentally each got sent to two different hospitals on 1,000 Ways To Die show on Spike TV. He was conscious, screaming, and survived for a few hours. > > [Paramount Network | Homepage - Shows & Schedules](http://www.spike.com/video/1000-ways-to-die/2978158) > > How awful to be aware of an injury like that. [moderating] I put that link in a spoiler tag, not because it’s overly graphic, but because it’s extremely **real** , and I got some reports from people that were bothered by the video. [/moderating] ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2010, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crushed-and-alive-until-uncrushed-then-immediately-dead-stories-any-true/525567/47 "2010-02-18T20:45:18Z")
> [@LurkerInNJ](#): > > They just had a death where a man was bisected by a semi, and his two halves accidentally each got sent to two different hospitals on 1,000 Ways To Die show on Spike TV. Note to self: Must start recording [this program](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1000_Ways_to_Die). ---
**Author:** ![Gbro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Gbro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gbro)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2010, 4:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crushed-and-alive-until-uncrushed-then-immediately-dead-stories-any-true/525567/48 "2010-02-19T04:11:25Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > Wow. And it took the emergency responders 45 freakin’ minutes to get to him! It took us 75 min yesterday to reach an accident victim! 30 mile away and back in the bush on a snowmobile trail. ---
**Author:** ![TerpBE](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bc8723/32.png) [@TerpBE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TerpBE)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2010, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crushed-and-alive-until-uncrushed-then-immediately-dead-stories-any-true/525567/49 "2010-02-19T17:06:15Z")
> [@LurkerInNJ](#): > > They just had a death where a man was bisected by a semi, and his two halves accidentally each got sent to two different hospitals on 1,000 Ways To Die show on Spike TV. He was conscious, screaming, and survived for a few hours. In case you didn’t know, the stories and videos on this show are almost always completely fake. They’re like the anti-snopes. Strangely enough, though, Mike the headless chicken who was mentioned at the end of this video was [real](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mike_the_Headless_Chicken). [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crushed-and-alive-until-uncrushed-then-immediately-dead-stories-any-true/525567.md?page=2)