Surely, every person at least once in his life heard the term "asphyxia." What it is? This word means oxygen starvation, which arose as a result of actions that interfere with the inhalation of air, and entailing various disturbances in blood circulation and anomalies of the central nervous system.
Varieties of asphyxia
The following types of mechanical asphyxia exist: strangulation (strangulation, squeezing the neck with a rope, the result of manual manipulations), obstructive (obstruction of the respiratory tract with various objects, drowning, closing of the mouth and nose), compression (the result of something too heavy on the stomach and chest) .
Signs of oxygen starvation
There are signs by which oxygen starvation can be recognized. This is a blue skin, an increase in the pupils and the lack of their reaction to sunlight, respiratory arrest, darkening of the blood. It should be noted that the heart has been beating for some time, and the victim needs urgent resuscitation.
Hanging
Strangulation asphyxia is something that forensic experts have to deal with regularly. Consider what causes it.
Hanging is when a rope wrapped around the throat is pulled in by the gravity of the body. In order to correctly diagnose and correctly assess the death caused by this type of asphyxia, you need to thoroughly understand the circumstances of what happened, examine the physical evidence and the place where this happened, examine the corpse.
The knot and rope around the neck can be completely different. However, there is an option that is most common. The rope knot is located in the nape area. There are more rare, atypical options. In such cases, the knot is located under the chin or side of the neck. Because of the rope, asphyxiation occurs. What it is, you already know.
Rope crush
This is a squeezing of the throat with a knot pulled by one’s hand or with the help of an outsider, it can also happen with the help of some massive object or a moving car. Not to be confused with hanging. With the latter, the knot on the throat is tightened due to the weight of the person himself hanging in the loop. The fact that in reality it was strangulation with a rope is indicated by a strangulation furrow. She completely repeats her shape and the number of revolutions. When strangled, this furrow is in a horizontal position relative to the longitudinal axis of the corpse. But when hanging, the situation is completely different. In this case, the furrow is not so. It should be understood that all this is mechanical asphyxiation. What it is? In short, oxygen starvation.
Hand choking
Hands strangulation is also practiced. As a result, a person loses consciousness in a matter of seconds, since the neurovascular bundles are compressed. When examining the body of the deceased soon after the death, you can see that his face has a blue tint. In the conjunctiva, large and small hemorrhages are observed. In addition, you may notice signs of strangulation with your hands. This is the presence of a huge number of large and small bruises of various shapes located on the side of the neck, and in some cases in front, on the lower jaw and chin. Abrasions can also be around the lips and nose, when strangulation with the help of the hand is carried out along with the closure of the respiratory tract.
Nose and mouth closure
Obstructive asphyxia is not less common. Often it causes death. Often practiced overlapping the mouth and nasal openings. As a result, oxygen starvation occurs, after which a person dies. The mouth and nasal openings may be blocked by hands. On the body after this, you can notice certain traces of exposure to fingers: bruising, scratches, bruises. Often minor injuries of the mucous membrane of the lips are found, usually from the inside. Why are they formed? Usually because the teeth are pressed too hard to the lips. As a result, there are bruises, bruises and all kinds of wounds on the mucous membrane. From lack of air and asphyxiation begins. What is this, medical students will learn in their first year.
Foreign airway obstruction
Sometimes there is also obstruction of the respiratory tract with any objects. It can also cause death. The subject somehow ends up in the airways. After that, he closes the entrance to them. In addition, the subject may partially or completely block their clearance. A very unpleasant situation. And in some cases, small objects do not block the airways, but simply irritate the vocal cords and larynx. And even in such a situation, the pulse may stop, and then the death of a person. Diagnosing this type of strangulation can be quite simple. Near the entrance to the larynx is a foreign object that is easy to notice and remove. It can be located in the lumen of the bronchi or trachea. Because of this unfortunate subject, asphyxiation occurred. What is this, every forensic expert knows.
Drowning
Often death occurs as a result of drowning. This is a blockage of the respiratory openings and waterways. Forensic experts often have to deal with this. In order for drowning to occur, it is not necessary to completely lie down in water or immerse the whole head there. For example, a person who is intoxicated can easily drown in a puddle.
If the death occurred as a result of drowning, then with internal and external examination of the body, certain signs of asphyxia become visible. However, they are not always observed. As for the external signs, the most eloquent one is the presence in the nose, mouth and respiratory tract of a foam consisting of small vesicles. It occurs due to the combination of water, oxygen and mucus in bronchial spasms. This happens at the convulsive stage of drowning. If there is no foam on the body that was taken out of the water, then after exposure to the chest with your hands, it may come out of the respiratory tract. This is an important point, it should be remembered. As for the other signs, they only say that the body was in the water. An internal examination of the corpses reveals: severe bloating of the lungs, fuzzy light scarlet hemorrhages located under their pleura, the presence of water in the small intestine, as well as in the stomach, foreign bodies (algae, clay, silt, sand) that penetrate deep into the respiratory tract. The most eloquent sign of drowning is the presence in the organs of bacillariophytic algae (plankton bones). The following point is very important. Their composition should coincide with the algae of the reservoir, where the body came from.
Choking as a way to have fun
Autoerotic asphyxia is quite widespread. The purpose of this action is to block the access of oxygen. A choking dressing or squeezing device is put on the neck, and then the person begins to engage in masturbation or sex. Typically, the overlap of oxygen is carried out by the partner. Although a person can do it himself. The bandage or device is removed only after reaching orgasm.
A wide range of people became aware of asphyxophilia in 1856, when the French doctor de Boimon told about this. He drew attention to the fact that men who died on the gallows often had an erection and ejected semen while squeezing the neck.
Today, many people practice autoerotic asphyxia in order to enhance sexual sensations and gain new experiences.
Oxygen starvation of the fetus
Maternity workers know firsthand what antenatal asphyxiation of the fetus is. It can develop with all kinds of diseases of a woman, as well as a difficult birth, during which the baby's gas exchange and blood circulation in the placenta are disturbed. There are two types of antenatal asphyxia: developing and threatening. In the case of the last signs of suffocation, at first there may not be, but symptoms necessarily appear that indicate a change in the reactivity of the child. It begins to move more or less, there are no responses during the implementation of functional effects, for example, when a pregnant woman, exhaling or inhaling, holds her breath, or when a cold object is applied to her stomach. More eloquent and often appearing signs of incipient antenatal asphyxia of the fetus are: increased heart rate of the child or, conversely, an irregular heartbeat, the occurrence of noise, separation of meconium. There is also another characteristic symptom. This is a muffled heart tone. This symptom should be given special attention. So, the most characteristic symptom of asphyxia is a malfunction in the heart. Therefore, it is necessary to constantly listen to how it beats in order to recognize alarm signals in time and do everything possible to prevent a tragedy. As soon as the initial, even mild symptoms of asphyxia are detected, one should immediately begin to act. For diseases of women and childbirth, which can lead to a violation of the gas exchange of the child, it is necessary to implement preventive measures without waiting for the occurrence of violations of the heart of the fetus and other signs of suffocation.
Babies who have undergone asphyxia (whether serious or mild) are too active in the first year after birth or, on the contrary, passive, they may have abnormal intracranial pressure, encephalopathy, convulsions or other deviations. Therefore, after discharge from the hospital, the child should be regularly observed by a neurologist. One way or another, the consequences of asphyxia will certainly make themselves felt. Affected children certainly need to pay a lot of attention, monitor their well-being.
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