Pediatric and adolescent strangulation deaths

The incidence of pediatric and adolescent deaths due to unnatural means is increasing. Fatal strangulation constitutes a significant group of violent deaths. The characteristics of pediatric and adolescent involvement has been rarely studied. In the present study, a cohort of 28 cases of pediatric and adolescent strangulation deaths was analyzed. The data for the study were collected from inquest papers, post-mortem reports and other departmental records for the period 1993-2004 (12 years). Female victims were more than male with male, female ratio of 3:4. Ligature strangulation was three times more frequent than manual strangulation. Ninety three percent were homicidal and the remaining 7% accidental. Fracture of neck structures was found in 25% of the cases and other associated injuries on different body parts were observed in more than half of the cases. Clothing and personal belongings were the most common ligature materials and in the majority of cases the exact reason for strangulation was not known at the time of postmortem.