HWN Suggests

Asphyxia by any other name is just as deadly

Being able to phonate merely means that your airway is open; there is no mechanical or anatomical obstruction of your vocal cords. There may very well be a significant impairment in respiratory efficiency, and medical professionals can gather further history and perform a physical examination to determine the extent of that impairment, if any. By not refuting that myth whenever we hear it, we encourage laypeople and police officers to believe it when they lack the education and training to rule out a serious condition.

Now, on to the differences between traumatic asphyxia, strangulation and positional asphyxia.

read full article

Featured

  The Many Implications of Asphyxiation

There can be many causes of asphyxiation. Diseases such as asthma, lung cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, emphysema, bronchitis, and pneumonia are all lung diseases that can make breathing very difficult, requiring supplemental oxygen. All of these can ultimately lead to death if the lungs are permanently damaged. Other methods of asphyxia are things such as foreign objects stuck in the airway or trachea, a severe allergic reaction causing airway constriction, drowning by inhaling water, incorrect body positioning, seizures, drug overdose, or even accidental carbon monoxide poisoning.

 Stand up, and speak out

EMS providers know positional asphyxiation can kill, and have a professional and moral obligation to object to it.

Articles of Interest

Asphyxia Break Down and Common Causes

The means by which asphyxiation can occur are numerous and can be intentional or unintentional. Whether a blockage of the airway or an inability for the lungs to exchange oxygen, when oxygen becomes unavailable to your bodies tissues and organs, serious consequences can result.

Asphyxiation - Murder, Suicide or an Accident

When a person is unable to breathe properly, oxygen cannot reach the tissues and organs of their body. Without prompt medical intervention, their body becomes starved of oxygen and the person dies. This is asphyxiation. There are three main categories of asphyxiation...

Asphyxiation: Everything You Need to Know

Asphyxiation occurs when the oxygen supply to the body is restricted. This can be due to suffocation, strangulation, drowning, or choking. Asphyxia is a serious condition that can result in unconsciousness or death.

Birth Asphyxia

Perinatal asphyxia can result in profound systemic and neurologic sequelae due decreased blood flow and/or oxygen to a fetus or infant during the peripartum period.

Deadly 'Choking Game' Comes With Big Risks

New Hampshire's chief medical examiner, who has studied the trend, explains: "As the brain is deprived of oxygen, there's this sensation of lightheadedness, which is interpreted as a high. And then once the pressure is released and blood flow is restored in a fashion, they see stars and the feeling is described as a rush," he said.

Erotic Asphyxiation: The Widespread and Potentially Fatal Fetish That Nobody Will Talk About

We talked to some people who get off on choking about the pleasure, shame, and dangers involved.

Helium Suicide, a Rapid and Painless Asphyxia...

In the last two decades, an increase in suicides due to gas inhalation has been observed. Since 2000, suicide methods using a combination of plastic bag suffocation with inert gas inhalation (e.g., helium, nitrogen, nitrous oxide) have been widely reported around the world.

Mechanical Suffocation is the No. 1 Cause of Infant Death

Mechanical suffocation constituted the majority (nearly 85%) of all injury-related mortality cases for infants. Infants who die from mechanical suffocation lose the ability to breathe due to strangulation, or smothering by bed clothes, plastic bags or similar materials.

Most cot deaths due to accidental suffocation, says US study

The findings support UK government advice that babies should be placed on their backs in a cot and not in an adult bed or on a sofa. "This study suggests that asphyxia plays a greater role in many sudden infant deaths than has been historically recognised," said Melissa Pasquale-Styles at the Wayne County medical examiner's office in Detroit, Michigan.

Pediatric Strangulation

Strangulation injuries are defined as any injury that results from a compressive force to the neck, leading to vascular and airway occlusion. Such forces might include hanging or strangulation (postural, ligature, or manual). Strangulation is implicated in 10% of violent deaths in the United States, while hanging is the second most common form of death by suicide.

Pompeiians Flash-Heated to Death—"No Time to Suffocate"

The famous lifelike poses of many victims at Pompeii—seated with face in hands, crawling, kneeling on a mother's lap—are helping to lead scientists toward a new interpretation of how these ancient Romans died in the A.D. 79 eruptions of Italy's Mount Vesuvius. Until now it's been widely assumed that most of the victims were asphyxiated by volcanic ash and gas. But a recent study says most died instantly of extreme heat, with many casualties shocked into a sort of instant rigor mortis.

Should We Talk to Parents About Suffocation Instead of SIDS?

Most of our discussions about safe sleep mention SIDS risk reduction. But it has become increasingly clear in recent years that accidental deaths from suffocation or positional asphyxia are also important. Unfortunately, the last US case-control study on sudden unexpected infant deaths (SUID) ended in 1996.

Strangulation Injuries

Strangulation is a well-recognized event in forensic science with many studies in the literature devoted to that field. It has been estimated that strangulation accounts for 2.5% of traumatic deaths worldwide6 and up to 10% of violent deaths in the United States.

Suffocation vs Asphyxia: Unraveling Commonly Confused Terms

Ultimately, the choice between suffocation and asphyxia depends on the specific context in which they are used. While both terms refer to a lack of oxygen, the nuances of their definitions can have important implications in medical, legal, and other settings.

What are the differences between strangulation, non-fatal and fatal strangulation and suffocation?

Suffocation is different to strangulation. Suffocation is to deprive a person of air which affects their normal breathing. Suffocation is sometimes referred to as asphyxiation or smothering.

What is the death by asphyxiation?

Death by asphyxiation or sweet death in some countries is how it is called death by inhalation of carbon monoxide. It is called sweet death because the person who dies does not suffer. By breathing the gas the victim slowly falls asleep unable to react or move. According to reports made in cases of carbon monoxide poisoning (known as CO), the victim may in many cases be aware that he doesn’t feel well, but the disorientation and numbness that the CO produces in the body prevents it from leaving the building or ask for help.

What to do in a crowd crush

Experts say that when a group is packed so close together that no one can move, their airways can become constricted. Victims can suffocate even while standing.

What You Need to Know About Strangulation

Strangulation is the external compression of the neck and can impede blood flow (oxygen) to or from the brain through direct compression. Choking refers to an object in the upper airway that impedes oxygen intake and can occur intentionally or accidentally. Focus on the facts of the case rather than the terminology to correctly assess the situation.

Why Suffocating Is Scary

Breathe too much carbon dioxide (CO2), and you'll suffocate. That's why people begin to panic if they breathe air enriched with the gas. One reason this happens, according to a new study in mice, is because breathing CO2 triggers chemical sensors in a crucial part of the brain's fear circuitry. The findings could point the way to new treatments for anxiety disorders.

‘Choking’ during sex is on the rise – we need sex education about consent more than ever

“Truthfully, I wouldn’t have said yes if I knew he was going to choke me, and I think he knew that too.”

Resources

Institute for Addressing Strangulation

The Institute for Addressing Strangulation was established in 2022 following the introduction of new legislation on strangulation and suffocation as a stand-alone offence.

Training Institute on Strangulation Prevention

The Training Institute on Strangulation Prevention (Institute), a program of Alliance for HOPE International, was launched in October 2011. The Institute was developed in response to the increasing demand for Intimate Partner Violence Strangulation Crimes training and technical assistance (consulting, planning and support services) from communities across the world.