Despite the fact that asphyxia is general associated with strangulation, it can be generated in numerous ways. Death by asphyxia (hypoxia/anoxia) means the lack of a pulse due to the absence of oxygen along with carbon dioxide retention in the organs and tissues, causing unconsciousness or death (emedicine). There are many different mechanisms that characterizes asphyxia such as mechanical, chemical, environment, pathological, and miscellaneous asphyxia. The most common mechanisms used to accomplish asphyxia are hanging, strangulation, smothering, and drowning.
The categories of the different types of asphyxia deaths are classified as mechanical, chemical, environmental, and pathological asphyxia. Mechanical asphyxia is the interference of respiration by hanging, strangulation, smothering, gagging, choking, and drowning (TASA Group). Chemical asphyxia is the inhalation of a gaseous substance that effects the body’s utilization oxygen. Examples of the common substances that initiate asphyxia are helium, methane, nitrogen and argon (emedicine). This type of asphyxia is commonly used as a form of suicide from the use of inert
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There are no specific findings at autopsy for asphyxia death. But the general findings on the externally are petechial hemorrhages (petechiae), congestion, and oedema. Petechiae are small collections of blood cause by the rupturing of capillaries when venous pressure is increased (TASA). The increase of this pressure also causes oedema and congestion of the body’s tissues along with lividity (dark, gray discoloration). Internally the general findings are seen in some, such as vagal inhibition and putrefaction. Vagal inhibition is a reflex of the vagus nerves that slows the heart rate, which leads to cardiac arrest. Signs of this type of death are seen better during the fresh stage of decomposition but seem to fade over time as the process continues
Another case is that of 17-year-old Kendrick Johnson whose death was initially ruled the result of accidental suffocation. A second autopsy produced a different conclusion, but when the second autopsy was performed, his body had been stuffed with newspaper, and his organs were missing ("Organ Trafficking, Melanin Theory & the Fountain of Youth -," n.d.). The brain, heart, lungs and liver were missing. He also discovered Johnson's death was due to blunt force trauma to the right side of his neck (Archer,
...well, which is how the disease got its name. The swelling then becomes tender, and perhaps as large as an egg. The heart begins to flutter rapidly as it tries to pump blood through swollen, suffocating tissues. Subcutaneous hemorrhaging occurs, causing purplish blotches on the skin. The victim's nervous system began to collapse, causing dreadful pain and bizarre neurological disorders. By the fourth day, wild anxiety and terror overtake the sufferer and then the sense of resignation, as the skin blackens and the rictus of death settles on the body. (Blue).
Also, hypoxia, which is a lack of oxygen, is another pathological physiological outcome of sepsis as less oxygen is reaching the tissue; this is due to the fact that there is less oxygen in the blood.
The autopsy reported that JonBenet's official cause of death was asphyxiation and had other injuries involved with that.
It can kill you! Yeah, this thing is silent and deadly! Colorless and odorless, you never know where it can be leaking from. Can you smell? Nope! Can you taste it? Nahhh! Have you figure it out yet? The thing that might take your life right now, or maybe tonight or maybe tomorrow. No? Well, I’ll be nice and tell you. The poisonous demand that lurk through the air so free and careless is Carbon Monoxide or CO. In this paper, you will learn all what and how it can kill you plus how you can protect yourself from Mr.CO
When a person is battling between life and death physicians have to check for signs of death. Kastebaum states that “the most common signs of death have been lack of respiration, pulse, and heartbeat, as well as failure to respond to stimuli such as light, movement, and pain. Lower body temperature and
...urvivors and any of these people may taint the process by providing “biased” recollections. The most commonly cited limitation or weakness of psychological autopsies is the lack of any standardized procedures for conducting them (Roberts & Baker, 2009, Psychological Autopsy, Limitations of Psychological Autopsies section, para.2). Although psychologists have developed a standardized guide with twenty-six categories to assist investigators in conducting psychological autopsies, not all of the categories are applicable to every case or are considered by every psychologist conducting a psychological autopsy (Roberts & Baker, 2009, Psychological Autopsy, Limitations of Psychological Autopsies section, para.2). Lacks, Westveer, Dibble and Clemente (2008) question its validity and reliability as the accuracy of equivocal death analysis has not been empirically studied.
When a person's body decomposes after death, it goes through a series of stages involving different chemical changes that cause it to change its appareance. Observing these changes can help forensic scientists determine the post-mortem interval (or time since death), which is very important when it comes to investigating unnatural deaths.
...4). Unconsciousness is usually irreversible and is followed by death. Another option is terminating life sustaining treatments such as antibiotics, ventilators, cardio pulmonary resuscitation, and etcetera. The individual can also choose to be removed from all nutrition and hydration sources and allowed to die of dehydration or starvation, which occurs in about 1-3 weeks (Harris, 2014; Lachman, 2010). These options of allowing natural death in themselves seem similar to physician-assisted suicide. McManaman (2012) refers to them as “passive euthanasia” and states that, “Death is a side effect of removing such treatment, and death is accepted, not intended” (¶ 15). Currently, most individuals only have the option to end life-sustaining measures and be provided comfort care, which can hasten or cause death do not appear different than choosing assisted-suicide.
After death, rigor mortis is first visible in the body’s smaller muscles, including those in the face and upper body. It takes some time for it to show up in larger muscles. So the fact that the victim is showing rigor mortis only in the face and upper body indicates that she has not been dead for very long – about two hours (Claridge, 2016). It was noted that lividity is also visible in the posterior region of the victim but is not fixed. This fits the two-hour timeline, as lividity begins within the first hour of death and does not become fixed until after six hours.
There are a couple different ways a person can go about killing themselves. Some can be done legally and others illegally. Those ways are euthanasia which have different forms and physician assisted suicide. Euthanasia consists of passive and active euthanasia and involuntary, voluntary and non-voluntary euthanasia. Most times they can be combined to form types such as voluntary passive euthanasia. Forms of Euthanasia defines these different types of euthanasia as follow. Active euthanasia is described as another person causing the death of a patient. An example of this would be giving a patient enough painkillers to overdose and kill themselves. Passive euthanasia is another type which is legal but has drawn a lot of controversy. It can be defined as withholding and withdrawing from treatments. Involuntary euthanasia is the killing of a patient whose wishes are to stay alive. An ...
Non-fatal cases usually incorporate one or more of the following features. The most common is the mysterious flames. This is where a victim will just begin to emit flames form their body.
Ely, S. F., & Hirsch, C. S. (2000). Asphyxial Deaths and Petechiae: A Review. Journal of Forensic Sciences, 45(6). doi:10.1520/jfs14878j
There are many different types of euthanasia animal shelters use to put down animals. The most popular type of euthanasia called intravenous injection, which is a poison containing sodium pentobarbital. This poison is injected in the heart or leg without any pain killers. The animal is put to sleep and in some cases they wake up when they feel the pain and start to struggle and fight the vet. More than one injection may be needed based on the weight of the animal. This process is also used for animals that are euthanized due to disease or injures. Another process is called the gas chamber. The animal is put into these gas chambers and “will usually scream and cry until they fall asleep” (Chrysta). Carbon dioxide is sent out and the animal will die in about twenty minutes. Many animal shelters believe this is an inhumane way of killing the animals and are against it. But there are still animal shelters in the United States that still use this method. Displacement of the neck or known as cervical dislocation is another f...
According to the Pittsburg Protocol, death is currently defined as the irreversible cessation of neurological or cardiopulmonary function.1 More specifically, brain death is defined as the irreversible cessation of the entire brain (including the brain stem), and cardiac death is defined as irreversible cessation of circulatory and respiratory functions.1 Even though the definitions seem clearly defined, issues have developed in regards to the amount of time allotted before declaration of death after cardiac arrest and regarding the possibility of resuscitation.