Death by Lethal Injection- Survival time? 7 minutes
History and Application
- Lethal injection was first proposed as a means of execution in 1888.
- 1977 Oklahoma became the first state to adopt lethal injection as a means of execution.
- The State of Texas, performed the first execution by lethal injection in 1982 on inmate Charlie Brooks
Procedure
- The lethal injection is a combination of three drugs.
- Sodium thiopental is a barbituate, that renders the inmate unconscience
- Pancuronium bromide is a muscle relaxant, that will paralyze the diaphragm and lungs.
- Finally, potassium chloride causes cardiac arrest.
- The inmate will be connected to a cardiac monitor, in most cases a physician is not present due to a conflict of ethical code. So the prison warden will call the time of death.