1/35. Concealed homicidal strangulation by burning.Compression of the neck, either with the hands or by a ligature, is not an uncommon method of homicide. Burning of the body to try to conceal the homicide may complicate the situation by making it difficult to interpret the findings. We hereby report two cases of homicidal ligature strangulation with extensive burning of the bodies. In both cases, external findings included the presence of a soft piece of fabric around the neck that, when removed, disclosed a portion of pale, unburned skin that vividly contrasted with surrounding areas. Osteocartilaginous lesions were present in only one case. carboxyhemoglobin levels in both cases were very low, and the histopathologic examination of distal airways for soot particles was negative.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = airway (Clic here for more details about this article) |
2/35. Petechiae of the baby's skin as differentiation symptom of infanticide versus SIDS.The successive killing of three siblings by their biological mother at two-year intervals is described. The children were 367 days, 75 days and 3 years old. Although sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) or interstitial pneumonia could not be ruled out as the cause of death in the two younger children, who were killed first, the third child exhibited discrete signs of violence in the mouth and throat area which were interpreted as proof of infanticide. All three children had petechiae of the skin of the face and throat, the upper thorax, the shoulders and the mucous membranes of the mouth. None of the children exhibited signs of a disease-related hemorrhagic tendency. After the mother was convicted of murdering the three-year-old boy by smothering in combination with compression of the thorax, she confessed to having killed the other two children in a similar manner. In the absence of hemostatic disease, the presence of petechiae of the skin extending over the entire drainage area of the Vena cava superior can be regarded as evidence of an increase in pressure in the thoracic cavity secondary to obstruction of the airways with simultaneous chest compression.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1.4858526947739keywords = airway, obstruction (Clic here for more details about this article) |
3/35. Asphyxiation from shoulder seat belts: an unusual motor vehicle injury.Two cases of accidental asphyxia caused by lap-shoulder seat belts are reported. Lethal neck injuries from shoulder seat belts are uncommon, and episodes of asphyxiation are even rarer. Positioning of the shoulder belt over the neck, short stature, and incapacitation from other injuries were predisposing factors to upper airway compromise in these cases.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = airway (Clic here for more details about this article) |
4/35. Therapy-related cafe coronary deaths: two case reports of rare asphyxial deaths in patients under supervised care.Cafe coronary deaths, as initially characterized, denote fatal occlusion of the upper airway by food substances. Such fatalities typically occur in individuals who either are clinically inebriated or have clinically significant neuromuscular dysfunction. Both conditions impair mastication and deglutition. The authors review the accidental deaths of two neurologically compromised patients under supervised care. Both subjects underwent complete medicolegal autopsy. In one case, ingestion of a prescribed emollient laxative precipitated death; in the other, death was attributable to aspiration of a contrast medium during a diagnostic radiographic procedure. These therapy-related deaths, which are regarded as a variation of the traditionally described cafe coronary fatalities summarized in the discussion, represent adverse events occurring during medical care. The adverse outcomes reviewed here are potentially avoidable and require special attentiveness by the clinicians directed to the particular condition of each patient. Such true aspiration-related deaths are confirmed on autopsy examination and are to be differentiated from the findings of agonal aspiration of gastric contents commonly encountered by the autopsy pathologist investigating deaths due to a great variety of natural and traumatic causes.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = airway (Clic here for more details about this article) |
5/35. survival after asphyxia secondary to gravel aspiration.A case of extreme asphyxia and acidemia secondary to mechanical obstruction of the tracheobronchial tree with sand and gravel is described. The roentgenographic appearance, clinical course, and management are emphasized. survival with no neurologic sequelae after such profound physiologic disturbance has not, to our knowledge, previously been described.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 0.4858526947739keywords = obstruction (Clic here for more details about this article) |
6/35. Strangulation with intravenous tubing: a previously undescribed adverse advent in children.Nonintentional strangulation in children is a widely recognized risk as a result of the vulnerability of their airway to occlusion by relatively low pressures. We describe 2 cases of strangulation by intravenous (IV) tubing in infants, 1 of which was fatal. This is the first documentation in the health science literature of this as a potential adverse consequence of IV therapy in young children. It is important that hospitals that care for such children recognize this potential risk and implement the appropriate strategies to minimize or eliminate it. Preventive interventions may include ongoing assessment of the need for continuous rather than intermittent IV infusions (saline or heparin locked IV sites), individualized level of supervision according to the child's age and behavior, and engineering modifications to the IV equipment.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = airway (Clic here for more details about this article) |
7/35. Strangulation injuries.Strangulation accounts for 10% of all violent deaths in the united states. Many people who are strangled survive. These survivors may have minimal visible external findings. Because of the slowly compressive nature of the forces involved in strangulation, clinicians should be aware of the potential for significant complications including laryngeal fractures, upper airway edema, and vocal cord immobility. survivors are most often assaulted during an incident of intimate partner violence or sexual assault, and need to be specifically asked if they were strangled. Many survivors of strangulation will not volunteer this information. Accurate documentation in the medical chart is essential to substantiate a survivor's account of the incident. Medical providers are a significant community resource with the responsibility to provide expert information to patients and other systems working with survivors of strangulation. This case study reviews a strangulation victim who exhibited some classic findings.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = airway (Clic here for more details about this article) |
8/35. Homicidal traumatic asphyxia associated with pebble impaction of the upper airway.The news media tend to sensationalize murders involving multiple methods because of their inherent brutality. Similarly, when addressing a jury, prosecutors often emphasize the most grisly part of a murder to ensure a speedy conviction. This paper reports a case of a teenage boy who was murdered by the use of multiple methods of asphyxia. The methods of asphyxial death and the reconstruction of the sequence of events by the medical experts during the murder trial played an important role in the conviction and ultimate sentencing of the perpetrators.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 4keywords = airway (Clic here for more details about this article) |
9/35. Multiple synchronous fibrovascular polyps of the hypopharynx.PURPOSE OF THE STUDY: To evaluate the clinical, radiological presentation and surgical management of fibrovascular polyps of the hypopharynx. methods: Retrospective medical analysis of a case report. We report the case of a 66-year-old man, who presented with an incarcerated left inguinal hernia, vomiting and regurgitation of a large mass into the oral cavity resulting in syncope. MRI and cine-esophagram demonstrated a large mass in the cervical esophagus. At the time of herniorrhaphy, endoscopy revealed an 11.8-cm hypopharyngeal mass that completely obstructed the oropharynx. RESULTS: The airway was secured by tracheostomy and the lesion was subsequently removed via open pharyngotomy. Postoperatively, a second polyp was found ball-valving into the airway, and an endoscopic resection was performed prior to decannulation. Histopathology of both lesions confirmed the diagnosis of a fibrovascular polyp. CONCLUSION: Fibrovascular polyps are rare benign intraluminal esophageal lesions resulting in mild symptoms of dysphagia that may also cause significant morbidity such as syncope and asphyxia. This is the first report of synchronous fibrovascular polyps of the hypopharynx.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 2keywords = airway (Clic here for more details about this article) |
10/35. life-threatening airway obstruction caused by mediastinal germinoma in a 9-year-old girl.The authors report a case of a 9-year-old girl with a mediastinal germinoma that required emergent surgical extirpation because of tracheal compression and asphyxia. The tumor was successfully debulked under general anesthesia with the capability of extracorporeal circulation immediately available. Postoperatively, the tumor responded to adjuvant chemotherapy and irradiation and the patient survived without evidence of recurrence.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 77.057913645082keywords = airway obstruction, airway, obstruction (Clic here for more details about this article) |
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