title: Death following atypical compression of the neck.
abstract: The authors present 3 cases of asphyxia caused by atypical compression of the neck by the metal bed bars fitted at the sides of the bed to prevent falling out. These occurred in 3 elderly women living in nursing homes, confined to bed by severe neuropsychiatric disturbances. In all 3 cases, the minor nature of the skin lesions and absence of blood infiltrations in the anatomic structures of the neck had made it difficult to diagnose the cause of death. Inspection of the rest homes, together with the autopsy findings (acute pulmonary emphysema, conjunctival petechiae, and dark, fluid blood), enabled identification of asphyxia as the cause of death and its causal agent as the bed bars.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal and Public Medicine, Section of Forensic Medicine, University of Bari, Bari, Italy. forem@medicinalegale,uniba.it
authors.forename: Nunzio
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Di Nunno
authors.forename: Michele
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Vacca
authors.forename: Fulvio
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Costantinides
authors.forename: Cosimo
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Di Nunno
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001237:Asphyxia / Q000473:pathology*; D001513:Beds / Q000009:adverse effects*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D019838:Neck Injuries / Q000473:pathology*; D009735:Nursing Homes