Abstract
The mechanism of death in asphyxia is impairment of oxygen and carbon dioxide exchange. Mechanical asphyxia (i.e., physical interference with breathing and/or circulation) is frequently encountered in medicolegal death investigations. Although the presence of external and internal petechiae is considered a hallmark of an asphyxial death, this finding is not invariable in different types of mechanical asphyxia. Consequently, debate continues about the relative roles of impaired breathing and circulation in the formation of petechiae. Hanging is a common type of mechanical asphyxia, occurring under various circumstances, some unusual. A range of external and internal postmortem findings is observed. Other types of mechanical asphyxia can have more subtle physical signs stressing the importance of the systematic approach of the “complete autopsy” in these cases. In deaths caused by inhalation of toxic gas (e.g., carbon monoxide), confirmation of the cause of death is only by toxicological testing.Key WordsAsphyxiapetechiaecarbon monoxide
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