Nitrogen gas death might not be painless

[tipoftheRGB]

Has anyone read about this case? :

Death by nitrogen was supposed to be painless. Kenneth gasped for 6 minutes - Times of India

Kenneth Eugene Smith died from a nitrogen execution, experiencing hypoxia due to breathing pure nitrogen. The effects of pure nitrogen on humans are unknown, but it is believed to cause cell breakdown and death. Death by nitrogen has been suggested as a painless method and may even be mildly...

www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Nitrogen is supposed to be a painless way to go but this guy was convulsing and suffering for several minutes before he fell unconcious despite being given pure nitrogen gas and the mask being strapped to his face. So that means it might be a painful death for some people right? :/ Has anyone here survived an attempt with nitrogen (or helium for that matter? And if so, what did it feel like and what went wrong?

 

[AllAloneAndSad]

There are a lot of explanations. The first one is that he did not want to die and fought it. He did not breath out all his oxygen. And a lot of other factors involved. I test drove my system and got my oxygen levels to 42% and I was about to pass out and it was painless. It took about a minute to get there. Not 2 breaths like people write. The first time I got to 5...the second time it was more like 7 but I was calm and wanted to test it.

Has anyone read about this case? :

Death by nitrogen was supposed to be painless. Kenneth gasped for 6 minutes - Times of India

Kenneth Eugene Smith died from a nitrogen execution, experiencing hypoxia due to breathing pure nitrogen. The effects of pure nitrogen on humans are unknown, but it is believed to cause cell breakdown and death. Death by nitrogen has been suggested as a painless method and may even be mildly...

www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Nitrogen is supposed to be a painless way to go but this guy was convulsing and suffering for several minutes before he fell unconcious despite being given pure nitrogen gas and the mask being strapped to his face. So that means it might be a painful death for some people right? :/ Has anyone here survived an attempt with nitrogen (or helium for that matter? And if so, what did it feel like and what went wrong?

It's like you taking a bath and then trying to give your cat a bath. There are different reactions to the same concept.

 

[tipoftheRGB]

There are a lot of explanations. The first one is that he did not want to die and fought it. He did not breath out all his oxygen. And a lot of other factors involved. I test drove my system and got my oxygen levels to 42% and I was about to pass out and it was painless. It took about a minute to get there. Not 2 breaths like people write. The first time I got to 5...the second time it was more like 7 but I was calm and wanted to test it.

True. It could be that he didn't breathe out all of his oxygen and fought it but its possible that it wasn't that and it just affects people differently. It just seems like it hasn't been tested enough times to know for sure whether its painless or not. Like maybe for some people it is but for others its not.

Thanks for sharing your story. Its good to hear that it works and its painless sometimes.

 

[Intoxicated]

It's like assessing how pleasant or unpleasant sex is, based on testimonials of raped victims. What's the point? Although topics like this don't really surprise me, knowing how often people project the experiences of random rescued drowning people to those who gonna drown on purpose.

 

[tipoftheRGB]

It's like assessing how pleasant or unpleasant sex is, based on testimonials of raped victims. What's the point? Although topics like this don't really surprise me, knowing how often people project the experiences of random rescued drowning people to those who gonna drown on purpose.

I disagree with this. Just because suicidal people want to die and people who are executed don't, it doesn't automatically mean the suicidal person will get a peaceful exit. The body reacts how its going to react. You can't just will yourself to not feel pain or get convulsions. I'm pretty sure some people who drown on purpose feel as much pain as those who drown by accident. The physical body will resist death even if the mind wants it. This guy wasn't struggling, he straight up convulsing while concious.

 

[Intoxicated]

I disagree with this. Just because suicidal people want to die and people who are executed don't, it doesn't automatically mean the suicidal person will get a peaceful exit.

Nobody said that, you object to your own thesis. It is often the case that the same action may produce a pleasant, neutral, or an unpleasant experience depending on whether it's voluntary or not for the subject.

The body reacts how its going to react. You can't just will yourself to not feel pain or get convulsions.

But you can induce more pain or discomfort of non-painful character by struggling. This also applies to anxiety.

This guy wasn't struggling, he straight up convulsing while concious.

Try to hold your breath for 2 - 3 minutes and witness your own "convulsions".

 

[locked*n*loaded]

Neither is dying of a heart attack, stroke, cancer, or a myriad of other "natural" causes. I fail to see the point.

 

[Pale_Rider]

How much of that was agonal breathing, and / or post death spasms , or other natural part of dying after loss of consciousness?

But Ill note states that execute often cant get even lethal injection right.

Just saying.

 

[opheliaoveragain]

my recommendation is to listen to Phillip N. talk about this on the episode of the exit pod, "what I should have told kenny" — it explains the issue with the way they're administering it in prison.

link below

 

[lifeisbutadream]

He was trying to hold his breath for as long as he could.

Sheep in a nitrogen chamber are happily munching grass and then abruptly fall over dead, totally painless.

 

[Intoxicated]

Maybe in exceptional cases a properly executed procedure of nitrogen asphyxiation could cause somewhat significant discomfort, but from what I read, loss of consciousness commonly occurs without any significant distress. The given example is by no means indicative regarding what could happen with a properly executed procedure.

After LOC, nitrogen asphyxiation produces general anesthesia, so feeling pain in later stages is unlikely too. The anesthetic effect of nitrogen-induced hypoxia is well described here (see pages 18 - 20), the relevant part is cited below

Spoiler: THE ANAESTHETIC ACTION OF NITROGEN ALONE, OR WITH A SMALL PROPORTION OF OXYGEN.

"On the physiology of asphyxia and on the anaesthetic action of pure nitrogen" by George Johnson, 1891

I have elsewhere stated that the phenomena which result from the inhalation of nitrous oxide as an anaesthetic by human beings are strictly analogous with those observed during the early stages of asphyxia. While some writers maintain that the anaesthetic action of nitrous oxide is due to its preventing access of free oxygen to the system, others believe that it has a "specific anaesthetic action." It occurred to me that some light might be thrown upon this subject by the administration of pure nitrogen. Accordingly I obtained from the Scotch and Irish Oxygen Company of Glasgow a cylinder containing 100 cubic feet of compressed nitrogen, in which the proportion of oxygen present was only 0.5 per cent. by volume, with 0.3 per cent. of CO₂. As a preliminary trial, Mr. F. W. Braine was good enough to administer this gas in five instances to members of the staff of King's College, who volunteered to submit to the experiments. The result was in each case the production of complete anaesthesia and of general phenomena precisely similar to those observed from the inhalation of nitrous oxide. Encouraged by these results, Mr. Braine felt justified in administering the gas to patients at the Dental Hospital for anaesthetic purposes. Nine patients took the gas. In every case the result was the production of complete anaesthesia, with general phenomena precisely similar to those observed during nitrous oxide inhalation. The pulse was first full and throbbing, then feeble. In the advanced stage the respiration was deep and rapid, and there was lividity of the surface; the pupils were dilated, and there was more or less jactitation of the limbs. The only difference, in the opinion of some of those present, being that the anaesthesia was less rapidly produced, and somewhat less durable, than that from nitrous oxide, though in each case the tooth was extracted without pain.

On a subsequent occasion the same gas was administered by Dr. Frederic Hewitt at the Dental Hospital. As before, nine patients took the gas. The maximum period required to produce anaesthesia was 70 seconds, the minimum 50 seconds, and the mean time 58.3 seconds. In one case two teeth were extracted without pain. In one case only was pain experienced, and in that case, the tooth having been broken up and not extracted, the patient said she felt a "smashing up." Having on several occasions witnessed the administration by Dr. Hewitt of nitrous oxide mixed with 10 per cent. by volume of oxygen, with the result of producing anaesthesia without lividity or jactitation, I determined to try a mixture of nitrogen with a small proportion of oxygen. I therefore obtained from the company above mentioned a cylinder containing forty cubic feet of nitrogen mixed with 3 per cent. by volume of oxygen, and a second cylinder equally charged with a mixture of nitrogen with 5 per cent. by volume of oxygen. These gases were administered by Dr. Hewitt to patients at the Dental Hospital with the following results: - In the case of the 3 per cent. gas, which was given to five patients, the time required to produce anaesthesia varied from 60 to 75 seconds, the average time being 67.5 seconds. In each case the tooth was extracted without pain, the duration of anaesthesia being somewhat longer than with pure nitrogen. In each case there was lividity, dilatation of pupils, and more or less jactitation. On the same day Dr. Hewitt gave nitrogen with 5 per cent. oxygen to four patients. With this mixture the time required for the production of anaesthesia ranged from 75 to 95 seconds, the average being 87.5 seconds. In each case there was complete anaesthesia, during which one patient had three molars extracted, and although she said she "felt the two last," the sensation appears to have been that of a pull, and not of acute pain. In all of these four cases there was slight lividity before the face-piece was removed, but in only one case was there slight jactitation of the limbs. The other three patients were perfectly quiescent.

 

[AllAloneAndSad]

True. It could be that he didn't breathe out all of his oxygen and fought it but its possible that it wasn't that and it just affects people differently. It just seems like it hasn't been tested enough times to know for sure whether its painless or not. Like maybe for some people it is but for others its not.

Thanks for sharing your story. Its good to hear that it works and its painless sometimes.

SI can kick in, but since I was at peace and knew that I was testing it, I was ok. Every extremity begins to feel as though there are a million ants but not bad; my heart raced but I would never call it suffering. This is just my case. This is the reason why I went with this method. I had the money, knowledge and dexterity to put it all together. Besides the Sarco Pod, it could be one of the most expensive one on the list in the threads.

 

[k1w1]

The case of the execution and the reasons why it went tits up are well documented. Totally agree with the above poster who stated that this takes 2 minutes...NOT 2 breaths before the vision begins to go out. Also, with all due respect to the publishers, you can only write about the follies of US politics so frequently so this story is going to do the rounds for years to come. Lastly, get a handful of tranquilisers if doing it bareback is too rough on the psyche. Short of a miracle, this is getting close for me, so if Im in any condition to do so will post a trip report on the way out.

 

[martinso67]

The company in my country that sells nitrogen says has a warning about danger of suffocating without any signs when it's happening.
That warning lowkey made me afraid if the purchase would cause suspicion.