USE OF PULMONARY METABOLIC FUNCTION INDICATORS AS MARKERS OF ASPHYXIAL DEATH BY HANGING

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During forensic examinations to establish the cause of death by asphyxiation in various types of mechanical asphyxiation, especially hanging, the greatest attention is paid to changes in the lungs. Despite the complexity of the genesis of death in mechanical asphyxia, the most common cause of death is asphyxia. Therefore, an important link in the progression of the asphyxia process is its effect on a vital organ such as the lungs. In order to address issues related to the development of pathological changes in the lungs, histochemical studies aimed at detecting markers of mechanical asphyxia are becoming increasingly important, in addition to the generally accepted macro- and micromorphological studies. The aim of the study is to analyse the current research on changes in the lungs during death by mechanical asphyxia due to hanging. Results. When establishing the cause of death with signs of mechanical asphyxia due to hanging, attention is drawn to the macromorphological manifestations of asphyxia genesis in the form of general signs of asphyxia that are not specific to this type of death. However, it has been found that their appearance is associated with the release of a number of biologically active substances into the body, since the process of dying by hanging is a strong stress factor. This is also indicated by micromorphological changes in various organs. The lungs receive the most attention in the study, as they are a crucial link in the asphyxiation process. The lungs are known to perform a number of important non-respiratory functions in addition to their primary function of gas exchange. The lung is an organ of biosynthesis and metabolism of many biologically active substances, regulating their levels in the blood. Some of these substances are released into the bloodstream in pathological conditions and significantly affect metabolic processes both in the lungs and throughout the body. Therefore, such substances can be used as biomarkers to prove the asphyxial genesis of death. Conclusions. Since the course of the asphyxiation process significantly affects the function of the lungs, which are the organ of biosynthesis and metabolism of many biologically active substances, the possibility of using these substances as markers of the asphyxial genesis of death in mechanical asphyxia, especially in hanging, has been demonstrated.