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Asphyxial deaths at district hospital, Tumkur a retrospective study
Abstract
Asphyxial death forms one of the modes of death which may be suicidal, homicidal or accidental in nature. A retrospective study of autopsies conducted between years 2006-2010 is an attempt to know the incidence of asphyxial deaths at district hospital, Tumkur. During this period there were 2288 deaths, out of which 438 deaths were of asphyxial deaths. The most common form of asphyxial death was hanging followed by drowning. The incidences of asphyxial deaths were more in males than females in the ratio of 1.4:1. These cases were studied to know age and sex distribution of the victims. In this study, we found that among asphyxial deaths hanging were more 268 (61.18%) followed by drowning 140 (31.96%), strangulation 19 (4.33%) and others respectively. Appropriate education, influencing the media in their portrayal of suicidal news, reporting method, involvement of young generations in encouraging activities may reduce the rate of suicidal death by hanging in future.
... They also reported that the victims were under increased pressure due to the burdens of life. Reddy et al. [11] stated that asphyxial deaths were more in the age group of 21-30 years (34.93%), followed by 11-20 years (20.10%) and 31-40 years (17.80%), ...
... The hanging victims tend to be of young working-age consistent with the results of Abd-Elwahab Hassan et al. [13] and Üzün and colleagues [14]. Suicide by hanging was also the most common method across all age groups [9][10][11][12][13][14]. We appreciate the assistance of the Department of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology, VIMS, Ballari, India. ...
... Sharija et al. [16] mentioned that most male victims were manual laborers (45%). Reddy et al. [11] mentioned that the incidences of asphyxial death among males and in females were 259(59.14%) and 179(40.86%), in sequence. ...
Background: Death by hanging is a vital health hazard worldwide; it is classified as violent mechanical deaths resulting from asphyxia. The manner of death in hanging is suicide in the majority of the cases, and accidental hanging is less common, and homicidal hanging is still less common. The study was aimed towards analyzing sociodemographic patterns, precipitating factors for committing hanging at Vijayanagar Institute of Medical Sciences (VIMS), Ballari, India.
Methods: A retrospective study was conducted at the mortuary of VIMS, Ballari, Karnataka, India. From January 01, 2016, to December 31, 2020, 356 alleged hanging cases were brought to the mortuary for postmortem examination, and the cause of death was attributed to hanging. The necessary data were collected with the help of history, inquest reports, meticulous postmortem examination, etc. The results were obtained after tabulating and data analyzed with a cross-sectional study.
Results: Of 356 cases of hanging, the majority of the cases were in the age group of 31-40 years (140 patients; i.e., 39.32%). Male preponderance was detected in 235(66%) cases, and most victims have married 199(56%) subjects. Concerning seasonal variation, we noted that the maximum number of suicides by hanging was reported in July to September 141(39.60%). Out of 356 hanging cases, 178(50%) were employed. The predisposing factor was Chronic illness in 136(38.20 %) cases, followed by financial stress and psychological problems in 120(33.70%) and 50(14.04%) cases, respectively. Most of the victims belonged to the Hindu religion, 290(82%) cases. Moreover, 320(90%) of cases had no suicide note.
Conclusion: Hanging is challenging to prevent due to numerous concomitant factors, but psychological counseling, economic support, and education can reduce the incidence of hanging.
... In our study it was observed that maximum number of cases were in the age group of 21-30 years with 41.54 % incidence which coincides with similar findings in the studies by other authors. 7,8 The vulnerability of the young and productive age group depicts the stressful and ambiguous lifestyle. The male preponderance with male to female ratio was found to be 1.48:1 which correlates with studies by various authors. ...
... The male preponderance with male to female ratio was found to be 1.48:1 which correlates with studies by various authors. 7,8,9 This high incidence may be because males, being the breadwinner of the family are more exposed to stress, strain and occupational hazards compared to females . ...
An alarmingly increasing death rate as a result of violent asphyxia makes detailed medico-legal autopsies paramount. A deeper understanding into the causation and demographic profile of these cases are important which will help in formulating remedial measures to prevent immature Asphyxial deaths. A retrospective autopsy study of violent asphyxial deaths was carried out at the Department of Forensic Medicine, KIMS Hospital, Bengaluru from November 2012 to May 2014.Of the total 901 cases which were autopsied during the study period, 325 cases (36.07%) were of violent asphyxial deaths. Maximum number of cases was in the third decade of their lives (41.54%) followed by fourth decade (17.85%) with the mean age being 31.72 years. Male: Female ratio was 1.48:1.27. 69% of the cases were educated up to high school. Maximum belonged to lower socioeconomic class. 66.16% cases occurred between 6PM to 6AM with maximum cases in rainy season. Suicidal hanging was the most common method employed at own residence. Abrasions were the commonest type of external injury. Fracture of hyoid and thyroid cartilage were seen in 0.25% each in hanging & 12.5% and 25% of cases of strangulation respectively. Voluminous lungs (91%) with persistent froth (100%) in nostrils and trachea were noticed in drowning. Fracture of long bones and vertebral column were observed in 14.28% cases of traumatic asphyxia. Only 2.77% of cases were hospitalized. The cause of death was opined as Asphyxia (94.76 %) followed by Anoxic/Hypoxic encephalopathy (2.77%). © 2018 South India Medico-Legal Association. All rights reserved.
... In our study, hanging was the commonest type of asphyxial death followed by drowning, which is consistent with the studies by various authors 1,6,7,9,10,11 but in one of the study 7 it was observed that the incidence of drowning being the commonest (59.40%) which could be due to the presence of water reserves in the region of the study. According to WHO report 2000 7 , Both China and India have particularly high drowning mortality rates and together contribute 43% of all drowning deaths worldwide. ...
... The asphyxial deaths was more in age group of 21-30yrs ( 38.89 %) which can be compared to other studies 3,5,7,10 , followed by the age group 31-40yrs ( 33.33%) which goes in favour of another study. 7 Males predominance was noticed in our study and male to female ratio is 3:1. ...
A one year retrospective study was conducted by evaluating a total of 36 deaths due to mechanical asphyxia during from 01-01-2012 to 31-12-2012, autopsied at District Govt. General Hospital, Chitradurga. Analysis of the recorded data, related to autopsy examination along with age, sex of the deceased, season and manner of death was done. Asphyxial deaths were 10.50% of total autopsies and number of males (67.96%) was more than females in a ratio of 3: 1. In our study commonest method of asphyxial death was hanging (80.60%), followed by drowning (8.3%), ligature strangulation (5.5%) and each case of Traumatic asphyxia (2.8%) and Postural asphyxia (2.8%). 21-30 years. age group were more prone to violent asphyxial deaths (38.88%) and more cases were noticed in summer season (50.0%) constituting majority of suicidal cases (83.30%).
... [5] Similarly other retrospective studies done in North India also report lesser incidence of asphyxia deaths, Chaurasia N et al (6.95%), Reddy SP et al (19.15%) and Azmac D et al(15.7%). [6], [7], [8] 35% of the study population was females and 65% were maleswith a ratio of 0.53:1. This is consistent with the findings of Kumar MTS et al who in their study on unnatural deaths reported that of all the asphyxia cases 71% victims, were males and 29% females. ...
... There is meagre evidence and acceptability of restorative justice in the cases of sexual assaults. 34 Many institutions have emerged to take care of the victims and their rights in the last 4 decades. 26 Now the restorative justice is well accepted and well implemented in many countries. ...
Background: Postmortem interval estimation is an important tool in forensic medicine. Estimating time since death is extremely important in cases where there is doubt about the period of death. After death, many changes occur in a regular sequence and can be used to arrive at an approximate time since death. When a post-mortem is conducted, doctor conducting the post-mortem examination has to give his opinion about post-mortem interval i.e. the probable time that elapsed between death and post-mortem examination even in cases of decomposed dead bodies. While giving this opinion, we always think we should have some other dependable methods to be more accurate in answering this question. Algor mortis, Rigor mortis, and Livor mortis have been the basis for ascertaining the post-mortem interval collectively. Among them, Rigor Mortis is an important indicator of post-mortem interval. Although it is a dependable tool for estimating post-mortem interval, it is influenced by many endogenous and exogenous factors like nature of death, nature of the body, temperature, humidity etc. Time of death is almost always asked by investigating authorities to connect the crime with criminals. Determining the death time has always been a topic of keen interest amongst forensic pathologists from its inception to date. Many workers in forensic medicine have tried to investigate to determine the time of death based on post mortem findings. To date, it is still an important and fascinating criterion to ascertain the time since death. With this study, we aimed to demonstrate the intricacies of Rigor Mortis with fluctuating temperature and humidity of the local region. We planned to estimate and compare the post-mortem interval based on Rigor Mortis in different body muscles. Materials and Methods: This study was conducted in the Department of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology at G.G.S. Medical College, Faridkot after taking clearance from the institutional ethics committee. Thirty medico-legal autopsy cases were included in the study where the exact time of death was known and included only hospital deaths. The relatives of the deceased were explained the purpose and nature of the study and provided with the patient information sheet and informed consent was taken. The details of the cases were noted from the hospital bed head ticket, relative interview and the police inquest papers. The exact temperature and humidity were noted at the start of autopsy using a digital hygrometer. Results: A total of 30 cases were observed out of which males outnumbered the females by approximately 3:1. Maximum cases consisted of Roadside Accidents (43.3%) followed by poisoning, assault and hanging, in that order. The average temperatures during the study months varied from a maximum of 41.3°C (June) to a minimum of 33.7°C (July). The average humidity varied from a maximum of 62.6% (July) to a minimum of 29.3% (May). The average temperatures during the study months varied from a maximum of 41.3°C (June) and a minimum of 33.7°C (July). The average humidity during the study months varied from a maximum of 62.6 % (July) and a minimum of 29.3% (May). Fully established Rigor Mortis was observed at a minimum of 10 hours and a maximum of 29 hours in May and June.
... et al.10 study found hanging (57.83%) and drowning (69.28%) was common in males however strangulation was common in females (78.9%). Syed Zubair et al 11 study shows hanging (72.2%), drowning (97.9%) and ligature strangulation (58.3%) was common in males compared to females. ...
... These results are consistent with results of Srinivassa Reddy P et al (Male: Female ratio -1.4: 1) and Chaurasia N et al (Male: Female ratio -1.5: 1). [9][10] 21-30 years' age group is most commonly affected group (125 cases forming 32.0% of total) followed by 11-20 years' age group (85 cases forming 21.7% of total). This young adult group is most active group of population and more exposed to external environment and stress and strain of life. ...
... Another retrospective study of autopsies conducted in Tumkur District hospital, reported 59.14% male cases and 40.86% female cases died due to violent asphyxia. [18] In our study, the manner of death comprised of hanging 60.27%, drowning 19.63% followed by strangulation 14.61% of total cases, almost similar pattern was observed by Gurudut et.al. [19] in Belgaun, Karnataka (India). ...
... In our study, we reported that the main mode of suicidal death in females is poisoning, which is similar to a study in Gujarat region (Prajapati et al. 2013), and poisons were mostly pesticides, also similar to study of Gunnell and Eddleston (2003). This is because females are usually confined to home where pesticides and other household poisons are easily accessible to them, whereas in male cases, the main mode of suicide was asphyxial death, similar to study of Srinivasa et al. (2012) and Patel et al. (2013). Poisoning and asphyxia death are also present respectively in 7.0 and 13.0 % of those 0-9 years of age; however, these are mainly accidental or homicidal in nature. ...
Abstract Aim Unclaimed homeless corpses in forensic settings constitute a big global problem. Unclaimed bodies for medico-legal autopsy have also shown an increased trend in the last few years in India. This study was done to identify the circumstances and establish a comparative pattern of death between male and female corpses based on autopsy findings. Study design Retrospective observational analytical study. Method and findings Autopsy and circumstantial-based findings of 5,542 unclaimed homeless corpses were reviewed comparatively between males and females brought to mortuaries between Jan 2004 to Dec 2013 in Lucknow, a major metropolitan city and tertiary care centre of India. Lucknow Province has a population that roughly equals that of the nationofGeorgiaortheUSstateofLouisiana.Atotal of39,872 autopsy cases were registered mean time, out of which 5,542 (13.9 %) were unclaimed corpse. The majority of cases belonged to males (3,950, 71.3 %) as compared to females (1,592, 28.7 %). Most homeless unclaimed bodies in the case of the male group were in the age group of 40–49 years (23.3 %; p<0.001), while in the case of the female group it was 20–29 years (21.80 %; p<0.001). The least-affected age group in males was 0–9 years (4.8 %; p<0.001), while in the caseoffemaleitwas40–49years(6.9%;p<0.001).The most common cause of natural death in both males and females was chronic lung disease. Railway and road traffic accidents accounted for 15.5 % (p<0.001) deaths in males, whereas in females they accounted for only 8.7 % (p<0.001). Violent sexual activity was present in 18.7 % (p<0.001) cases and associated with homicidal death in females. Asphyxial death was present in 10.9 % cases within the male group and was 10.6 % (p<0.001) of the cases within the female group. Cases of poisoning within the male group were 8.1 %, whereas it was 12.3 % (p<0.001) within the female group. Poisoning was the main mode of suicide in females, while in the case of males our study reports it was asphyxial death. The majority of the cases were reported during the summer, while in the month of February the least amount of cases were reported. Conclusions This is the largest autopsy-based study of unclaimed homeless corpse from India which tries to identify the circumstances of death and to establish a comparative pattern based on factors associated with the deaths of the males and females. The age groups of 40–59 (43.6 % within gender) in males and 10–29 age groups (40.3 % within gender) in females were the most affected victims. Age, gender, weather conditions and socio-economic status played an important role.
Keywords Unclaimed ,Homeless ,Death pattern . Medico-legal autopsy
... In our study, we reported that the main mode of suicidal death in females is poisoning, which is similar to a study in Gujarat region (Prajapati et al. 2013), and poisons were mostly pesticides, also similar to study of Gunnell and Eddleston (2003). This is because females are usually confined to home where pesticides and other household poisons are easily accessible to them, whereas in male cases, the main mode of suicide was asphyxial death, similar to study of Srinivasa et al. (2012) and Patel et al. (2013). Poisoning and asphyxia death are also present respectively in 7.0 and 13.0 % of those 0-9 years of age; however, these are mainly accidental or homicidal in nature. ...
Aim
Unclaimed homeless corpses in forensic settings constitute a big global problem. Unclaimed bodies for medico-legal autopsy have also shown an increased trend in the last few years in India. This study was done to identify the circumstances and establish a comparative pattern of death between male and female corpses based on autopsy findings.
Study design
Retrospective observational analytical study.
Method and findings
Autopsy and circumstantial-based findings of 5,542 unclaimed homeless corpses were reviewed comparatively between males and females brought to mortuaries between Jan 2004 to Dec 2013 in Lucknow, a major metropolitan city and tertiary care centre of India. Lucknow Province has a population that roughly equals that of the nation of Georgia or the US state of Louisiana. A total of 39,872 autopsy cases were registered mean time, out of which 5,542 (13.9 %) were unclaimed corpse. The majority of cases belonged to males (3,950, 71.3 %) as compared to females (1,592, 28.7 %). Most homeless unclaimed bodies in the case of the male group were in the age group of 40–49 years (23.3 %; p < 0.001), while in the case of the female group it was 20–29 years (21.80 %; p < 0.001). The least-affected age group in males was 0–9 years (4.8 %; p < 0.001), while in the case of female it was 40–49 years (6.9 %; p < 0.001). The most common cause of natural death in both males and females was chronic lung disease. Railway and road traffic accidents accounted for 15.5 % (p < 0.001) deaths in males, whereas in females they accounted for only 8.7 % (p < 0.001). Violent sexual activity was present in 18.7 % (p < 0.001) cases and associated with homicidal death in females. Asphyxial death was present in 10.9 % cases within the male group and was 10.6 % (p < 0.001) of the cases within the female group. Cases of poisoning within the male group were 8.1 %, whereas it was 12.3 % (p < 0.001) within the female group. Poisoning was the main mode of suicide in females, while in the case of males our study reports it was asphyxial death. The majority of the cases were reported during the summer, while in the month of February the least amount of cases were reported.
Conclusions
This is the largest autopsy-based study of unclaimed homeless corpse from India which tries to identify the circumstances of death and to establish a comparative pattern based on factors associated with the deaths of the males and females. The age groups of 40–59 (43.6 % within gender) in males and 10–29 age groups (40.3 % within gender) in females were the most affected victims. Age, gender, weather conditions and socio-economic status played an important role.
Background: Violent asphyxial deaths are often dealt with during autopsy, and its magnitude is mentionable nowadays. Objective: To determine the frequency of cases of violent asphyxial death along with the determination of the socio-demographic variety of the victims. Study Design: It is a cross-sectional type of descriptive study. Place of Study: Department of Forensic Medicine of Sir Salimullah Medical College, Mitford, Dhaka, Bangladesh. Duration: The study was conducted from January 01, 2017, to December 31, 2019. Materials and Methods: A proforma was prepared where various data were tabulated, compiled and analyzed. Results: 1060 cases of violent asphyxial death were encountered out of 9410 medico-legal autopsies. Male (68.67%) predominance was evident. The age group of 20-29 years (44.15%) was principally affected. Maximum victims were from urban areas (61.03%). Victims were mainly married (56.6%) and unemployed (26.6%). The Muslim (81.32%) victims were mostly seen and lower class people (58.2%) were the prime victims. Hanging (65.84%) and drowning (27.64%) were chiefly encountered. Conclusion: The study reflects the magnitude of violent asphyxial death and a brief picture of the socio-demographic profile of the victims.
Brought dead cases are of concern not only clinically with regards to medical certification of cause of death, but also medico legally.
Generally, brought dead cases are considered as medico legal, which in fact need not be always. Need has arisen to study the
provisions and practice of handling brought dead cases with respect to whether medico legal post-mortem is required for all such
cases or not. A retrospective, cross-sectional, observational study was carried out by examining case files, police papers and post�mortem reports of brought declared dead cases (n=62) received at a tertiary care hospital in Ahmedabad with the objective being to
observe the epidemiology of brought dead cases and to review the provisions and practice of handling brought dead cases, as well as,
medico legal post-mortem examination (Under S. 174 Cr.P.C.) for such cases. Majority cases belonged to more than 50 years of age
with a history of previous/current major illness. Hence, ascertaining the cause of death became quite obvious after excluding common
unnatural causes. Only 23.72% cases were subjected to autopsy. In some cases police denied permission for performing the autopsy. A
protocol to handle brought dead cases is suggested which might require some reforms in relevant law(s) and state resolutions. The
centers with high load of autopsies of brought dead cases from natural manner should carry out such a study to decide whether really
medico legal autopsy is required in such cases or not and to request the state authorities to amend the provisions accordingly
Violent deaths resulting from asphyxia chiefly includes Hanging. Hanging may be suicidal, homicidal or accidental in nature. Suicide by hanging is commonest, accidental hanging is less common and homicidal hanging is still less common.
The study was aimed towards analysing socio- demographic pattern, causes & precipitating factors for committing suicide by hanging in this region.
A retrospective study was conducted at mortuary of SRTR Government Medical College, Ambajogai, Dist. Beed, Maharashtra, India, during the period 01 January 2018 to 31 December 2018 on alleged history of hanging cases brought for post mortem examination and where the cause of death was attributed to hanging. Data was collected with help of inquest, external and internal examination etc. Results were obtained after tabulating and analysing data.
Total 59 cases were studied during the study period and shows male preponderance (71.18%). Majority of male (10 cases ie..23.80%) were in the age group of 51-60 years where as females were (11 cases ie. 64.70%) in the age group of 21-30 years. Out of 59 cases, 14 (23.72%) were farmers. Pre-disposing factor was Alcohol consumption in 09 (15.25 %) cases. Psychological problems were the reason for suicide in 05 (08.47%) cases. In relation to seasonal variation we noted that, maximum number of suicide by hanging in males and females were reported in the month of June 11 (18.64). Other details explained subsequently.
Hanging as a method of suicide is difficult to prevent but cautious screening of susceptible persons, careful watch and monitoring their behaviour and counselling can reduce suicide.
Traumatic injury is a leading cause of death and disability in our society, most of which are accidental in nature and traffic accident is the commonest cause. During 2014, 53.4% victims died following traffic accident out of which 83.7% in road traffic accident and rest in railway accident. An autopsy based descriptional study was conducted in the department of Forensic Medicine, AMCH, Assam to find out the proportion and pattern of cardiac injury following blunt trauma (direct and indirect) irrespective of cause of death. Out of 542 deaths following blunt trauma, 74 were having cardiac injury (16.37%). Victims were mostly male (85.14%) within 21-30 years age group. 74.32% incidents were following road traffic accident and pedestrian was the commonest type of victim. Cardiac injuries were mostly confined to right ventricle and contusion (71.27%) being the commonest type. They were associated with injury to chest wall (97.8%), lungs (94.59%) and pericardium (95.95%). © 2018, Indian Journal of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology. All rights reserved.
Asphyxia is best described as an interference with respiration due to any cause – Mechanical, Environmental, or Toxic. Violent deaths resulting chiefly from asphyxia includes death due to hanging, strangulation, suffocation and drowning. The purpose of this study was to analyze recent trends related to asphyxial deaths in the Aurangabad region of central Maharashtra and to compare them with other studies. In the present study, 9910 medicolegal autopsies conducted at Government Medical College and Hospital, Aurangabad, Maharashtra, India were analysed retrospectively from October 2016 to October 2012; in that in total 802 (8.10%) were asphyxial deaths with males (76.30%) were more commonly affected than females. Highest number of deceased belonged to age group of 21 to 30 years. Hanging was most common type of asphyxial death with 69.5 % of cases, followed by Drowning with 24.2 % of cases. This analysis will provide a better understanding of epidemiology and burden of violent asphyxial deaths in society and will help to formulate comprehensive programmes and strategies to prevent same. © 2017, Indian Journal of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology. All rights reserved.
Background: Diatoms found inside the body of a drowned victim may serve as corroborative evidence in the diagnosis of cause of death. Diatom has proved to be the only golden standard for diagnosis and confirmation of drowning deaths whether the drowning was ante-mortem or post-mortem. Methods: The study was based on the cases of death due to drowning received from three districts of Northern Range of Himachal Pradesh, India during the period of five years from I st January, 2010 to 31 st December, 2015 for diatom test. A total of 66 human cases were examined for detection of diatoms. The detailed information regarding cause of death, socio-demographic factors and other associated information was gathered. The acid digestion method accepted worldwide for diatom extraction was used. Results: Male victims predominated (75.75%). Most common affected age group was 21-40 years (53.02%). The youngest victim was a girl of 4 years age who drowned accidentally in a water tank, while the oldest victim being a 86 years old who fell accidently in a river. Married victims contributed to 33 (50.0%) and unmarried to 21 (31.81%). 13 (19.69%) drowning cases belonged to students followed by labourers (18.18%) and housewives (15.15%). The highest reported cases of drowning were from the rural areas (65.15%) followed by urban areas (16.66%). Majority (81.81%) of the victims drowned in fresh water. The incidences of drowning were more in water of natural flowing streams (khuds) (31.81%) followed by rivers (22.72%), nullahs/rivulets (12.12%), wells (9.09%), kuhls/water channels (7.57%), canals (6.06%), ponds (3.03%), water tanks (3.03%) and check dam, dam and waterfall in one each (4.54%) respectively. Accidental drowning was the most common cause of death (37.87%). Highest (51.51%) percentage of drowning cases was noticed during the months of monsoon/rainy season. Blood on mouth and nostrils was present in 14 (21.21%), froth from mouth, nose, larynx and trachea in 35 (53.03%) cases. Diatom-test was found positive in 62 (93.93%) cases. The results of the study revealed the occurrence of various varieties of diatoms in water bodies of northern region of Himachal Pradesh. The most common diatom genera detected were Navicula (86.36%). Conclusion: The study concluded that diatoms are amongst the important biological forensic evidences in diagnosing the cause and place of death due to drowning. Gender based examination revealed higher percentage of males involved in drowning fatalities and the accidental submersion was the commonest manner of death. Diagnosing Death with Diatoms: A Retrospective Study of Forensic …
Background: Punjab is currently facing the problem of addiction on an epidemic scale and addiction poses a formidable risk to HIV. This study was planned with a motive to understand some behavioural pattern of HIV positive prison inmates, who pose significant risk to fellow inmates and are themselves vulnerable to various illnesses due to their HIV status. Objective: To study the demographic profile along with the knowledge, attitude and practices, with regards to HIV risky behaviour of HIV positive prisoners. Settings and Design: A cross-sectional study from an Indian jail. Materials and Method: A total of 61 prisoners who tested positive for HIV and agreed to participate in this ethically approved study after giving an informed consent, were assessed through a investigator designed proforma to know the demographic profile alongwith knowledge, attitude and practices, with regards to HIV risky behaviour. Results: Among the 707 jail inmates who were tested for HIV, 76 subjects (10.7%) prisoners tested reactive for HIV. Among these 76 HIV positive inmates, all were male. 61 subjects agreed to participate in the study through an informed consent. The results show that the study sample had a mean age of 30 years, 45 of the subjects were convicts (74%), 35 subjects were married (57%), 34 subjects had urban residential background (58%), 45 subjects belonged to Sikh religion (74%), 38 subjects were under matriculate (62%). 59 subjects gave the history of life time use of Intravenous drug usage (96.7%). Conclusions: High prevalence of IV drug abuse in Indian prisons is an alarming situation. The adequate management of such persons in prison, with minimising associated risk for blood-borne infections has come up as an important issue, in the wake of rising number of arrests for illegal possession of drugs in this part of the country.
Thunderstorms are classic weather events. Huge electrical forces are involved, producing millions of amperes and phenomenal voltages within microseconds of time. Hundreds of deaths occur each year from atmospheric lightening stroke, especially in tropical countries. Understanding lightning related casualties is more than just reporting numbers of deaths. As death takes place immediately, no signs of vital reaction are to be expected in connection with bizarre presentations of victims and torn clothing further arouse suspicions of foul play and sometime person at a considerable distance from the spot of lightning, is killed with no mark of injury due to 'return shock' i.e. discharge of charged cloud induced electricity from his own body. More people are struck by lightning in hilly states blessed with heavy rains than in all other states on average both indoor and open fields. This article reveals a series of such cases brought to the Government Medical College, Haldwani.
There is great importance of fracture of hyoid bone in the cases of asphyxial deaths due to compression of neck by ligature material. There had been a vast difference of opinion regarding the presence of hyoid bone fractures in cases of hanging. The various authors have reported the incidence of hyoid bone fracture from nil/rare to as high as 67% in hanging cases. Keeping the above facts into consideration, the present study was undertaken with the aim of studying the presence of hyoid bone fractures in hanging cases. The study was conducted in a retrospective manner in the Department of Forensic Medicine, VMMC & Safdarjung Hospital, New Delhi. The data regarding the incidence of hyoid bone fractures were collected by analyzing the postmortem records of hanging cases over an interval of four years from 2009-2012. The presence of hyoid fractures was found to be very rare in cases where cause of death was attributed to hanging.
Abstract
Acute Aluminum Phosphide (ALP) or Celphos poisoning is extremely lethal and invariably suicidal in nature. Unfortunately it’s high toxicity and absence of a specific antidote results in very high mortality. The key to treatment lies in rapid decontamination and early institution of resuscitative measures. It is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in northwest and central India. The outcome is poor, largely due to delay in appropriate management and skepticism amongst clinicians regarding the outcome. Things are further complicated by limited resources in tier 3 cities and villages where most of the cases present initially. ALP is commonly available and ingested in the form of Tablets / pellets of known amount and composition which renders a fair idea about the ingested dose of the poison. Surprisingly, in our case the victim ingested a massive dose of ALP powder to commit suicide. He could survive just because of instant and excessive vomiting, and meticulous management without any delay. Such an incidence with powder form of ALP is extremely rare and has not been reported so far, to the best of our knowledge.
Key Words: Celphos Powder, Aluminum Phosphide Poisoning, Phosphine
To analyse suicide by hanging, compared with other methods, by demographic and selected social factors in Lithuania, and to evaluate changes during 1993-1997, and 1998-2002.
Data on committed suicides were compiled from the Lithuanian Department of Statistics. Suicides were identified by the International Classification of Diseases (ICD): codes in ICD-9 E950-E959 and codes in ICD-10 X60-X84. These were categorized into seven groups by method of suicide. Particular attention was paid to suicide and self-inflicted injury by hanging, strangulation and suffocation (ICD-9: E953; ICD-10: X70). These data were analysed by gender, age, place of residence, education, and marital status.
A total of 8324 suicides (6864 men and 1460 women) were committed during 1993-1997, and 7823 suicides (6455 men and 1368 women) during 1998-2002. Of all registered suicides in Lithuania during 1993-2002, hanging was the most common method. Over the period under investigation, hanging, in proportion to all other methods used to commit suicide, increased statistically significantly from 89.4% among men and 77.3% among women between 1993 and 1997 to 91.7% among men and 82.6% among women between 1998 and 2002. The most noticeable rise occurred among girls aged 10-19 years. The next most common methods among men were firearms and poisoning; among women, poisoning and jumping from high places were common methods. Hanging predominated in men, older people, rural residents and people with low levels of education. A logistic regression analysis showed that gender (odds ratio [OR]=2.4; 95% confidence interval [CI] 2.2-2.7), place of residence (OR=2.0; 95% CI 1.8-2.2) and education (OR=1.2; 95% CI 1.1-1.3), independently of other factors, had the strongest influence on the choice of hanging as the method of suicide between 1993 and 2002. Age had only a minor effect, and marital status had no significant effect on choosing hanging to commit suicide.
Hanging is the most common method of suicide in Lithuania. The popularity of this highly lethal method may be one of the underlying causes for the high rate of committed suicides. Universal approaches to suicide prevention deserve serious consideration, especially challenging the social acceptability of hanging among men, older people, rural residents, and low educated groups of the population in Lithuania.
This prospective study aimed at examining various injuries to the neck structures in deaths due to constriction of neck. Neck dissection technique, as advocated by Prinsloo and Gordon was undertaken to study the injuries to the thyro-hyoid complex, strap muscles, carotid vessels, etc. Of the 1746 medico-legal autopsies, conducted during the study period, 5% were deaths due asphyxia of which 82% were those of constriction of neck. The 21-30 years age group accounted for the maximum number of cases (57%). Male:female ratio was 2:1. Hanging (69%) outnumbered other asphyxial deaths--ligature and/or manual strangulation, smothering, etc. Injury to the sternocleido-mastoid muscle (54%) was the commonest injury to the neck structures. The hyoid bone was fractured in 21% cases, while the thyroid cartilage was fractured in 17% cases. Complete hanging was noted in 68% of cases while the hanging was atypical in 88%. Fixed knot was found to have been used in 71%. A single loop round the neck was observed in 80% of the cases and it was above the level of thyroid in 58% cases. Most cases of the fracture of the laryngo-hyoid complex were in the 41-60 year age group, 72% and the fracture was on the same side as the knot in 52% cases. Majority used soft daily wear articles of clothing like a sari (32%) or chunni (24%). Asphyxial deaths due to constriction of neck being common in all parts of the world, prospective studies in different setups to examine the profile of neck structure injuries are needed so as to differentiate the suicidal or homicidal nature of such deaths with a greater certainty.