Citation

Kodikara S. Am. J. Forensic Med. Pathol. 2012; 33(4): 317-318.

Affiliation

From the Department of Forensic Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2012, Lippincott Williams and Wilkins)

DOI

10.1097/PAF.0b013e3182443585

PMID

22333907

Abstract

Although hanging is common across the world, survival after attempted hanging is very rare with death usually occurring within minutes or over the first 24 hours. If the person survives the initial event, later he/she may die because of the severity of the initial hypoxic and ischemic brain damage. Survival from hanging is often associated with various complications including a large variety of neurological consequences. This case report highlights a rare case of survival in attempted hanging of a 35-year-old man, with previous suicide ideation. Within 15 minutes of the incident, he was brought to a tertiary care hospital. On admission, he was unconscious and the Glasgow Coma Scale was 4 with tachycardia, weak pulse, bradypnea, and shallow breathing. With vigorous and prompt resuscitation methods, he gradually recovered without any residual neurological outcome. Prognostically good results could be achieved, if such victims are vigorously and promptly resuscitated, irrespective of their initial presentation.

Language: en