A case of attempted suicide by self-hanging

A young man arrived at the accident and emergency department after attempting suicidal self-hanging. He was cyanosed and showed severe respiratory distress. His posture, hyperreflexia and state of consciousness suggested decerebration. A dire prognosis was expected. Four days later he recovered. No residual physical or mental sequelae were found during follow up. The "post-suspension syndrome" in our case was similar to those recorded in several continental reviews. Apart from a case report of a "miraculous deliverance" following an unsuccessful judicial hanging at Oxford in 1650, no other report of this syndrome has been made in the English literature. This syndrome has an excellent prognosis and requires very little active intervention to ensure a favourable outcome.