Tag: Cellular death

Brain cells can begin to die in as little as four to six minutes after oxygen is cut off. The answer to "how long can you be hypoxic before death?" depends heavily on the severity and duration of oxygen deprivation, but this narrow window underscores the urgency of medical intervention during a hypoxic event. The brain is particularly vulnerable, consuming about 20% of the body's total oxygen, making it the first organ to suffer severe, irreversible damage.

Death is a process, not a single moment in time, even in cases of trauma. From a medical and forensic perspective, understanding what are the two main types of death—somatic and cellular—provides a crucial framework for clarifying the biological and physiological changes that occur at the end of life.