We know we lost three wonderful people. A child, a beautiful lady and a dedicated graduate Chinese student. We first loved them and now we miss them deeply. Their loss is our loss.
We know the number of critical patients went from 17 to I believe it is 25 today. There is a reason for that and that doesn't mean these people are in danger of dying. If I may? Two of the critical are children. I don't want to raise false hopes, but, children usually do well once hospitalized after trauma.
The bombs that went off carried the most force of the explosion where human legs were in the way. Legs are large extremities that carry a significant amount of blood and BODY FLUID in their physiology. There are many reasons for a patient being in critical condition and some may be for head injuries, but, for those that suffered LARGE extremity trauma there is a lot going on with the physiology of the entire human body.
As soon as these folks began to lose blood there was a SHIFT IN BODY FLUIDS happening. The body fluids in other body tissue, interstitial, extracellular and intercellular. The human body maintains it's physiology through a process called hemodynamics. That means the fluids in the human body are kept in balance. That includes vitamins, minerals and the components, even genetic building blocks, are all harbored within the fluid balance of the human body. Starting to get the picture?
All of a sudden that hemodynamic balance was shattered by the rapid loss of blood in the circulatory system of the human body. It is why it is best to use tourniquets on seriously injured arms and legs. It stops the loss of blood, but, it also stabilizes the hemodynamics (fluid balance - ready for this word - osmolality) of the human body.
There are very large blood vessels in the legs. What has occurred with some of the seriously injured people that has placed them in critical care units is a loss of fluid balance. There was loss of phosphorus and potassium out of the cells. There is more magnesium in the blood content than in other tissues where it is needed. In many ways the fluid balance of the body is a defense against dying. As blood loss occurs the other places where body fluids exist shifts to increase circulatory fluids in support of the remaining blood to deliver vital oxygen.
When these shifts occur, there are changes in the chemical content in the cells of the body. All that balance has to be returned. The doctors taking care of these folks are basically staving off devastating SHOCK to the body. But, they can be successful even though the body is self-imploding. They are pushing back against the very mechanism that provided survival to date. I am optimistic at this point the people in critical care will survive. We know for a fact the longer a patient is in critical care the greater chance of their survival and recovery. We all need to remain vigilant to recovery of all these people and our communities. It is important.
Now about the bombs.
How silly is this idea, huh? Now every kitchen with a pressure cooker is a potential bomb. But, stop to think about it. When a person uses their pressure cooker isn't there mindfulness the darn thing can become dangerous. Right? A pressure cooker is not like a whistling tea kettle that can be put on the stove top and left alone to let a person know it is time to stop the heating of the contents. A person using a pressure cooker has to be careful about what is occurring with the COOKER. This is not an ordinary pot, is it?
Pressure cookers are a CAST METAL construction. What does that mean? It means it is created by pouring metal into a mold. There are no seams in the metal. It can withstand large amounts of pressure before it explodes. So, when the explosions occurred, in Boston, the 'ENERGY' of the explosion was concentrated in a particular direction. The explosion was directed through the weakest part of the construction of the cooker. The energy of explosion would FIRST direct itself between the lid and body of the cooker. Why is that more interesting then a pipe bomb? Because of the shrapnel inside. The tiny nails and pellets would receive greater VELOCITY when the energy of the explosion was DIRECTED rather than SCATTERED.
This bomb was meant to not only cause concussion (an unexpected and changing force), but, to wound and wound in a fatal way. The shrapnel was more important than the concussion in this case. The creators of these bombs wanted to fatally wound and kill people and not destroy buildings. The creator of these bombs knew exactly the bomb they wanted and how to create it. There are suppose to be many more dead in Boston than there is today.
When the Good Samaritans ran into the explosion rather than running away they literally put their lives ahead of their safety. They didn't know if there would be more bombs with timers set differently to explode as the rescuers saved lives. Some of these Good Samaritans were our National Guard. Selfless and dedicated. They are profound heroes and I mean that will every definition available. They should be recognized for their bravery. They could easily have been dead as well if the bombers were more maniacal.
It was their bravery that saved lives by the very seconds they saved in stopping the blood from rushing from the bodies they found.
If nothing else, remember this; the bombers were determined to kill. The concussion of the bomb was suppose to be a secondary consideration. The concussive force was not important at all. That didn't matter. The bleeding mattered. People were suppose to bleed to death before they could be saved. By chance Boston was prepared with magnificent people in their streets determined to ACT to save lives and protect the people of the USA. The preparedness of the city to receive these patients was well practiced and it paid off. Every hospital practice these drills. The hospital staff was dedicated beyond any doubt that off-duty was completely a luxury and not granted. One wonders why hospital personnel have stress in their lives; well now the nation understands.
I cannot understate the idea that events where many people gather should be protected and please leave backpacks elsewhere rather than bring them to the event. The Boston Marathon was CHOSEN because it was a HUMAN POTENTIAL event where people gather to celebrate the human potential. Elite runners are rewarded, but, the Boston Marathon goes on until the last runner crosses the finish line. It is a human potential event that is the life blood of quality of life of us all.
Think about what is more important at such events; the quality of life we live or the convenience of a backpack.
Be aware and be safe. Please. Leave the backpacks at home.
We know the number of critical patients went from 17 to I believe it is 25 today. There is a reason for that and that doesn't mean these people are in danger of dying. If I may? Two of the critical are children. I don't want to raise false hopes, but, children usually do well once hospitalized after trauma.
The bombs that went off carried the most force of the explosion where human legs were in the way. Legs are large extremities that carry a significant amount of blood and BODY FLUID in their physiology. There are many reasons for a patient being in critical condition and some may be for head injuries, but, for those that suffered LARGE extremity trauma there is a lot going on with the physiology of the entire human body.
As soon as these folks began to lose blood there was a SHIFT IN BODY FLUIDS happening. The body fluids in other body tissue, interstitial, extracellular and intercellular. The human body maintains it's physiology through a process called hemodynamics. That means the fluids in the human body are kept in balance. That includes vitamins, minerals and the components, even genetic building blocks, are all harbored within the fluid balance of the human body. Starting to get the picture?
All of a sudden that hemodynamic balance was shattered by the rapid loss of blood in the circulatory system of the human body. It is why it is best to use tourniquets on seriously injured arms and legs. It stops the loss of blood, but, it also stabilizes the hemodynamics (fluid balance - ready for this word - osmolality) of the human body.
There are very large blood vessels in the legs. What has occurred with some of the seriously injured people that has placed them in critical care units is a loss of fluid balance. There was loss of phosphorus and potassium out of the cells. There is more magnesium in the blood content than in other tissues where it is needed. In many ways the fluid balance of the body is a defense against dying. As blood loss occurs the other places where body fluids exist shifts to increase circulatory fluids in support of the remaining blood to deliver vital oxygen.
When these shifts occur, there are changes in the chemical content in the cells of the body. All that balance has to be returned. The doctors taking care of these folks are basically staving off devastating SHOCK to the body. But, they can be successful even though the body is self-imploding. They are pushing back against the very mechanism that provided survival to date. I am optimistic at this point the people in critical care will survive. We know for a fact the longer a patient is in critical care the greater chance of their survival and recovery. We all need to remain vigilant to recovery of all these people and our communities. It is important.
Now about the bombs.
FBI / AP
The remains of a pressure cooker that the FBI says was part of one of the bombs that exploded during the Boston Marathon.
How silly is this idea, huh? Now every kitchen with a pressure cooker is a potential bomb. But, stop to think about it. When a person uses their pressure cooker isn't there mindfulness the darn thing can become dangerous. Right? A pressure cooker is not like a whistling tea kettle that can be put on the stove top and left alone to let a person know it is time to stop the heating of the contents. A person using a pressure cooker has to be careful about what is occurring with the COOKER. This is not an ordinary pot, is it?
Pressure cookers are a CAST METAL construction. What does that mean? It means it is created by pouring metal into a mold. There are no seams in the metal. It can withstand large amounts of pressure before it explodes. So, when the explosions occurred, in Boston, the 'ENERGY' of the explosion was concentrated in a particular direction. The explosion was directed through the weakest part of the construction of the cooker. The energy of explosion would FIRST direct itself between the lid and body of the cooker. Why is that more interesting then a pipe bomb? Because of the shrapnel inside. The tiny nails and pellets would receive greater VELOCITY when the energy of the explosion was DIRECTED rather than SCATTERED.
This bomb was meant to not only cause concussion (an unexpected and changing force), but, to wound and wound in a fatal way. The shrapnel was more important than the concussion in this case. The creators of these bombs wanted to fatally wound and kill people and not destroy buildings. The creator of these bombs knew exactly the bomb they wanted and how to create it. There are suppose to be many more dead in Boston than there is today.
When the Good Samaritans ran into the explosion rather than running away they literally put their lives ahead of their safety. They didn't know if there would be more bombs with timers set differently to explode as the rescuers saved lives. Some of these Good Samaritans were our National Guard. Selfless and dedicated. They are profound heroes and I mean that will every definition available. They should be recognized for their bravery. They could easily have been dead as well if the bombers were more maniacal.
If nothing else, remember this; the bombers were determined to kill. The concussion of the bomb was suppose to be a secondary consideration. The concussive force was not important at all. That didn't matter. The bleeding mattered. People were suppose to bleed to death before they could be saved. By chance Boston was prepared with magnificent people in their streets determined to ACT to save lives and protect the people of the USA. The preparedness of the city to receive these patients was well practiced and it paid off. Every hospital practice these drills. The hospital staff was dedicated beyond any doubt that off-duty was completely a luxury and not granted. One wonders why hospital personnel have stress in their lives; well now the nation understands.
I cannot understate the idea that events where many people gather should be protected and please leave backpacks elsewhere rather than bring them to the event. The Boston Marathon was CHOSEN because it was a HUMAN POTENTIAL event where people gather to celebrate the human potential. Elite runners are rewarded, but, the Boston Marathon goes on until the last runner crosses the finish line. It is a human potential event that is the life blood of quality of life of us all.
Think about what is more important at such events; the quality of life we live or the convenience of a backpack.
Be aware and be safe. Please. Leave the backpacks at home.
