If the vein in your neck was to cut why would you die? Why is it so special?

Question: If the vein in your neck was to cut why would you die? Why is it so special?
- Keywords:
  die,
  neck,
  special,
  vein
Asked by Mariha to Andy, Dwaine, Tatiana on 25 Jun 2015.
- Andrew Scott answered on 25 Jun 2015:
  
  I think the really important blood vessels in your neck are the carotid arteries. These take the blood from your heart up to your brain. If no blood was flowing to your brain then your brain would have no oxygen or nutrients and would die.
  
  The veins take the blood back the other way. If you cut a big vein, then you might bleed to death.

Mariha commented on 25 Jun 2015:

What if you cut a small vein?

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Andy commented on 26 Jun 2015:

It depends how small. If it’s small enough then the platelets would probably form a clot and stop the bleeding. Not something I’d like to test though…

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Question: If the vein in your neck was to cut why would you die? Why is it so special?