1Assistant Professor, Dept. of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology, Belgaum Institute of Medical Sciencese, Belgaum, Karnataka, India
2Post Graduate, Dept. of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology, J.N. Medical College, Belgaum, Karnataka, India
3Associate Professor, Dept. of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology, J.N. Medical College, Belgaum-590010, Karnataka, India
The present study is a retrospective evaluation of 103 deaths due to mechanical asphyxia autopsied at Dept. of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology, Belgaum Institute of Medical Sciences, Belgaum during from 01-01-2009 to 31-12-2009. Data related to age and sex of the deceased, season and manner of death were recorded with detailed autopsy examination and analyzed. Asphyxial deaths comprise 14.32% of total autopsies. Males (67.96%) outnumbered females. Most frequent method of asphyxial death was hanging (61.16%), followed by drowning (28.15%). More violent methods, such as ligature and manual strangulations, constituted 2.91% and 0.97% of all asphyxial deaths, respectively.
Asphyxia, Hanging, Drowning, Strangulation, Traumatic asphyxia
