Why is it awful to have even the tiniest bit of oxygen in the blood?

Question

Why can that kill you? Would it hurt?

I also saw The Omen, and the evil kid Damien's mom died because the evil babysitter lady put a bubble of oxygen into her blood tubes. Why did it kill her>

Answer 1

This is a movie exageration. All blood that returns to the heart is first pumped through the lungs before it is returned to the body. The lungs with it's extensive area of capillaries acts like a huge filter and would eliminate a reasonable amounts of air, as well as a small blood clot before it gets a chance to get pumped to the rest of the body.

With a condition like "the bends" ( decompression sickness) air suddenly comes out of solution in your blood forming bubbles. This occurs because of the rapid change in pressure. This air appears all over your body in your brain, spine, heart, muscle and has not first been filtered by the lungs. It is very painful and can kill you because the air in the vessels does not allow the blood to flow to the tissue.

Answer 2

Because it travels to the heart and if the oxygen is not in the red corpuscles then it could lead to a very painful death. Oxygen is needed in the bloodstream to be transported to all the cells in the body, but, it would have a similar effect to having a blood clot. It would block the arteries on the outside of the heart (coronary arteries) and cause either a heart attack or if it went to the brain, a stroke. Any blockage in the arteries can cause death.
I hope that makes sense, I'm no doctor.

Answer 3

I think you mean not oxygen, but air. Oxygenated blood is essential for GOOD health! I advise you look up the answer to the air question in a less inquisitive forum, or a book. Take care.

Answer 4

If you are talking air bubbles, that can kill you by stopping blood flow to your brain.

If you are talking oxygen as it occurs naturally (as the oxygenated form of red blood cells) then you would be dead without it because your cells need it to survive.

Answer 5

idk