{"title":"Atypical chest suspension: An unusual case of positional asphyxia in Nepal.","authors":"Alok Atreya, Bibek Bhandari, Ritesh G Menezes, Raj Kumar Karki, Lokaratna Gyawali","doi":"10.1177/00258172251337048","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>We report an atypical case of suspension death involving chest compression. A 41-year-old male was found suspended from the veranda of his residence by means of multiple woollen shawls tied together to form an improvised rope. Autopsy revealed mechanical asphyxia as the cause of death with no evidence of foul play. The death was accidental, most likely due to the deceased's attempt to descend from the first floor by rope. This case highlights the need to carry out meticulous death scene investigations and autopsy examination to identify unusual suspension mechanisms, particularly in accidental deaths.</p>","PeriodicalId":35529,"journal":{"name":"Medico-Legal Journal","volume":" ","pages":"57-59"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0000,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Medico-Legal Journal","FirstCategoryId":"1085","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1177/00258172251337048","RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":null,"ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"2025/10/30 0:00:00","PubModel":"Epub","JCR":"Q2","JCRName":"Medicine","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
We report an atypical case of suspension death involving chest compression. A 41-year-old male was found suspended from the veranda of his residence by means of multiple woollen shawls tied together to form an improvised rope. Autopsy revealed mechanical asphyxia as the cause of death with no evidence of foul play. The death was accidental, most likely due to the deceased's attempt to descend from the first floor by rope. This case highlights the need to carry out meticulous death scene investigations and autopsy examination to identify unusual suspension mechanisms, particularly in accidental deaths.
期刊介绍:
The Medico-Legal journal is the official journal of Medico-Legal Society. The Royal Society of Medicine Press is delighted to announce the launch in July 2009 of the Medico-Legal journal, on behalf of the Medico-Legal Society. The Medico-Legal Journal provides an official record of the proceedings of the Medico-Legal Society, and is dedicated to promoting Medico-Legal knowledge in all its aspects. As well as providing a record of activity in the Society, the journal includes a unique collection of contributions and speeches from eminent speakers at society events.