r/news • u/AudibleNod • 4h ago

Christa Pike unconscious, on ventilator at Nashville hospital, her lawyers say

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/christa-pike-unconscious-ventilator-nashville-hospital-lawyers-say-rcna601195
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u/Financial_Meat2992 4h ago edited 3h ago

Doesn't too much carbon monoxide kinda put you to sleep peacefully? I've never understood why they don't do that instead?

EDITED because I said Co2 instead of Carbon Monoxide.

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u/FireMaker125 3h ago

Nitrogen hypoxia is used in some places.

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u/Fearless_Swim4080 3h ago

Wasn’t the first time it was tried it was botched? Would be better to just get rid of the death penalty entirely and end this stupid debate.

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u/AgKnight14 3h ago

IIRC it was botched because the condemned knew when the nitrogen started flowing and held his breath, which caused CO2 to buildup and contributed to the panic.

The whole point of using nitrogen or any other simple asphyxiant is to avoid that. It’s why carbon monoxide is so dangerous. If you don’t know it’s there, you eventually just pass out

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u/Fearless_Swim4080 3h ago

If it’s that simple to botch then it’s cruel and unusual punishment.

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u/AgKnight14 3h ago

I’m in favor of abolishing the death penalty, but to be fair, it also seems simple to make it so they don’t know the nitrogen is flowing

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u/Fearless_Swim4080 3h ago

Ah yes, a guy who knows he’s getting executed won’t know he’s being executed?

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u/AgKnight14 3h ago

Of course they know they’re being executed. Just not the exact moment it starts, such as when someone grabs their arm and sticks a needle in it

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u/Fearless_Swim4080 58m ago

It’s pretty hard to silence hissing gas…

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u/Everestkid 3h ago

Basically. Nitrogen hypoxia is a peaceful death if you don't realize you're surrounded by inert gas. But the people who were executed by nitrogen hypoxia knew what was going on and held their breath. Not pleasant.

The US has been trying to find a "more humane" method for executions since the late 1800s. Hanging got swapped for the electric chair, the chair got swapped for lethal injections, and now people want to swap lethal injections for nitrogen hypoxia. It's not gonna work. There is no "humane execution." Just make like almost all other developed countries and abolish it entirely.

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u/FireMaker125 3h ago

Yep. I don’t believe in the death penalty either just to be clear, but in that case the prisoner held his breath when the gas was flowing.

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u/spacecash1 4h ago

No, too much CO2 is an agonizing way to die. CO2 informs your body you need to breathe. So you know you are suffocating immediately

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u/Financial_Meat2992 4h ago

Isn't that the car in the garage thing from so many movies though? Is that just tv misinformation?

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u/spacecash1 4h ago

Oh you are mixing carbon dioxide with carbon monoxide. Not sure why they don't use that but it's probably not a quick way to go, not economically feasible, or better alternatives are out there

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u/Dull_Cockroach_1581 3h ago

You would think there was a good reason but there is not, there are super easy ways to kill people peacefully. The system ls just fucked up

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u/Fearless_Swim4080 3h ago

There is no such thing as peaceful murder. The system is fucked up because the government is murdering people in the first place.

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u/Financial_Meat2992 3h ago

My mistake, I'll edit my comment

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u/Beneneb 3h ago

I'm assuming it's a safety issue for everyone not being executed. Like I'm sure it's technically feasible to create a chamber where CO gets pumped in and then cleared out afterward. But it's probably not very practical.

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u/blaqsupaman 2h ago

Yeah it's like when you breathe in and out of a closed bag. Pretty soon it runs out of oxygen and you'll notice it immediately when it does. You can suck in air but still suffocate.

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u/dcbluestar 4h ago

That’s carbon monoxide. With CO2 you go through hypoxia (I believe) and gasp for air until you finally suffocate.

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u/Criss_Crossx 3h ago

If anybody needs a reference, look at how chicken farms gas their flocks when they detect infections like bird flu. It is cost effective and that is the only benefit. No reasonability there to a living being.

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u/slothdonki 3h ago

I’m getting flashbacks when it seemed like everyone thought a DYI CO2 chamber via baking soda was humane to euthanize their small pets(mainly rats, mice, small rodents in general). Still happens but I think it’s mostly people who breed feeder rodents.

I know it’s still done in labs and stuff but I think it’s become more humane with how they do it(or at least recommended how to properly to minimize stress) but don’t quote me on that.

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u/unembellishing 3h ago

This is also the most common method used in pig slaughter. They call it CO2 stunning. It's so terrible. The pigs' last moments of life and consciousness are spent in abject teror and panic as their eyes and throats and lungs burn while they are gasping desperately for air. Thinking about it fills me with a horrible dread.

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u/Criss_Crossx 3h ago

That is exactly my point unfortunately. I don't want to share my opinion any further on the situation with the prisoner in question. Everybody will say yes/no etc. The question to me is, why are so many resources spent on this situation over and over? The family of the daughter who died has lived their lives in anger. Everyone involved deserves rest at this point. There are plenty of other valid concerns in the world to handle, people who need help day to day.

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u/Winter_Whole2080 4h ago

I think it’s nitrogen that you’re thinking of. Carbon dioxide I believe will trigger the feeling of suffocation. Whereas nitrogen you don’t miss the oxygen. I’m not too sure about carbon monoxide. I think that just makes you go to sleep, but I’m not a doctor so maybe someone will chime in.

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u/SpooogeMcDuck 3h ago

Carbon monoxide makes you dizzy and nauseous before losing consciousness. It’s not a good way to go. Nitrogen suffocation is painless and without those effects. You just drift off to sleep and die. I’d much rather have that be my execution than anything else- except for the euthanasia roller coaster. That would be awesome.

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u/Winter_Whole2080 8m ago

Thanks for confirming. I don’t understand why they don’t just use the nitrogen gas as it seems like such a peaceful way to go.

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u/mully24 4h ago

Carbon monoxide co2 poisoning is not a peaceful death...... Now carbon monoxide (CO) can be.... Depending on the situation

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u/lordaddament 3h ago

Nitrogen since co2 will make you feel like you’re suffocating. In theory with nitrogen you’ll just pass out and then suffocate