eli5 Why are air bubbles in syringes so dangerous?
In: 2
The heart pushes blood down arteries and the force of this pushes the blood ahead of it back around to the heart. Blood and fluids in general do not compress very well so pushing on fluid at one end of a tube full of it will push it out the other side, even if the tube splits into multiple directions.
However if there is a gas such as air in the tube then it doesn’t necessarily work that way. The gas can compress and expand, absorbing the force of the pushed fluid without causing the other end to flow. A significant air bubble in a blood vessel can stop blood from flowing and starve an area of tissue from the oxygen and nutrients it needs, causing it to die.
Latest Answers