I'm pretty sure that would depend on what was used to pierce the heart. Big difference between the opening made by a needle and one made by a carving knife.
More on exsanguination (Exsanguination is the process of blood loss, to a degree sufficient to cause death. One does not have to lose all of one's blood to cause death.)
"Ducky" was saved from this in an older NCIS episode.
Exsanguination is one of those words that just sounds mellifluous to me---kind of like tetrahydrocannabinol.
When I was a teenager in the late 50's and earl 60's, I read something about 4 personality types, and since then the word sanguine has always been in my vocabulary.
Four temperaments is a proto-psychological theory that suggests that there are four fundamental personality types, sanguine (enthusiastic, active, and social), choleric (short-tempered, fast, or irritable), melancholic (analytical, wise, and quiet), and phlegmatic (relaxed and peaceful).
And that's why I didn't tackle the question directly--sometimes you are more clever with your questions rather than straightforward. (Which is enjoyable.)
And what says that you're going to die from having an object pierce your heart?
I seem to remember an incident a number of years back where a kid fell out of a tree and landed, chest-first, on a steel rod sticking up out of the ground. The kid was still alive when Rescue showed up. They had the presence of mind to actually cut off the rod while it was in his chest and carry him, complete with impaling rod, to the local hospital (which, fortuitously for the kid, had an excellent cardiac surgical unit). Surgeons cracked the kid's chest to examine and found that the object had passed through one of the chambers of his heart. They slowly extracted the rod using a purse string suture to close each hole as the rod was removed. Kid survived nicely and is still alive and kicking so far as I know.
Is this just another of your bleeding heart quizes again....,aorta have known youd keep pumping these out bloody questions and hopping some old clot would plug the gap....:(
SpunkySenior 