Pictures of rescued people hundreds of hours after disaster may offer hope earthquake however, in Syria and Turkey, they do not always end well.

A typical example is Zeynep, who remained in the ruins of her house for a long time. over 100 hours until rescued. “The woman is doing well given the conditions,” said a February 10 press release from ISAR Germany, a humanitarian organization that helped rescue her.

However, a little later Zeynep died. “She was laughing on the way to the hospital,” said Dr. Bastian Herbst, a member of the ISAR medical team who accompanied the woman in the ambulance.

Why did Zeynep die? There are many possible reasons and they are described below.

Hypothermia

One of the main causes of death after such a rescue is hypothermia. The area where the earthquake occurred is quite cold at this time of the year. For this reason, the blood vessels of people trapped under the rubble they contract.

With this contraction, the body tries, as far as possible, to keep it. heat from. On the one hand, the temperature drops in the limbs and on the surface of the skin, on the other hand, warm blood flows into the body, thereby ensuring the functioning of the organs.

In the case of Zeynep, the rescuers had to shake several times until they release her. However, with this movement, the woman’s vessels may have been dilated, causing cold blood to reach the inside of her body.

This, in turn, may cause Heart arythmywhich led to her death.

Kidney damage and ventricular fibrillation

According to another scenario, Zeynep suffered kidney damage her.

Her feet were buried under rubble, although she could move her toes. It’s possible that the tissues on her legs were damaged, causing the discharge. myoglobina protein responsible for transporting oxygen to muscle cells when their tissues are damaged.

But when the victims are released and the blood suddenly begins to flow freely, the body can “fill up” with myoglobin, which can cause kidney damage And increased potassium levels.

An excess amount of potassium in the body, in turn, can cause ventricular fibrillation (not the same as atrial fibrillation, a type of arrhythmia in which the heart cannot pump blood to the rest of the body). This is a dangerous condition, especially for people with a history of cardiovascular disease.

stress factor

His hormones stress they can support organ function. “We’ve also seen it in shipwrecked people: when they see a rescue team, they gain strength,” says Herbst.

When these hormones subside after the rescue, it may The cardiovascular system collapse.

Zeynep lost her husband and children during the earthquake. “Maybe she somehow found out about it and lost the will to live. We can’t know that,” concludes Herbst.

According to DW.com