19-Month-Old Male Presenting with Near Strangulation by Human Hair

Abstract

Introduction: Hair tourniquet syndrome is a well-documented phenomenon in which hair can become tightly wrapped around an appendage resulting in ischemic injury and necrosis. When a hair tourniquet involves the neck as the appendage, fatality can result due to asphyxia, specifically strangulation. Strangulation can be fatal, and death can result within minutes. In the pediatric population, suffocation is a concern when assessing the sleep of newborns and infants. There are inherent dangers of co-sleeping that are routinely discussed during pediatric office visits, particularly about newborns. Parents are alerted to the …