Cafe´ coronary syndrome-fatal food asphyxiation: an autopsy case report

Abstract

Café coronary is a condition in which a healthy person who begins a meal, suddenly collapse and dies without any further distress. Signs of choking are absent and the cause of death is reflex vagal inhibition of the heart. In such deaths, a detailed and meticulous autopsy is required to reach the diagnosis and give cause of death, although the scene visit and collection of samples have their own significance. Cafe coronary was the term coined by Haugen in 1963 for sudden and unexpected death occurring during a meal due to accidental occlusion of the airway by food. In the present case report the authors want to highlight the need of awareness towards the predisposing factors responsible for the café coronary syndrome or fatal food asphyxiation. Keywords: Suffocation, Café coronary, Choking, Reflex vagal inhibition.