ABSTRACT
Asphyxia is dežned as the interference with the uptake or utilization of oxygen with subsequent reduction in the oxygen level within the blood, cells, tissues, and organs.1 Loss of consciousness occurs within seconds and may take as long as thirteen to eighteen seconds to occur according to one report of four žlmed hangings (two suicides and two autoerotic accidents).2 Respiratory arrest followed by cardiac arrest ensues a‹er several minutes. In fact, the heart will continue to beat, and there will be a pulse for as long as ten minutes a‹er respiratory arrest.1 Death due to asphyxia occurs in one of several ways:
• Obstruction of the external airway (nose and mouth) • Obstruction of the internal airway (oral cavity, larynx, trachea, bronchi, lungs) • Compression/occlusion of the blood vessels of the neck (carotid arteries, jugu-
lar veins) • Severe ©exion of the neck or compression of the chest or abdomen • Impairment of O2 utilization by the body’s cells • Displacement of O2 from the ambient environment
Prolonged interference with O2 uptake or utilization results in hypoxia or hypoxemia, irreversible cell damage, and eventually cardiopulmonary arrest. e cells within the brain are particularly vulnerable to prolonged reduction of O2.
