title: A study of 13 cases of near-hanging presenting to an Accident and Emergency Department.
abstract: This paper reports 13 cases of near-hanging presenting to the Accident and Emergency (A + E) Department of a District General Hospital over a 52-month period. The purpose of the study was to analyse the epidemiology, methods, outcomes and complications of near-hanging. There were 13 cases in the study period, 12 of whom were male and 1 female. The mean age was 31 years. The most common method used was rope (five cases). The estimated mean duration of hanging was 5 min. Height of fall data was poorly recorded but only one fall was recorded as being more than 3 ft. Many had a very poor clinical picture on arrival of the ambulance crews: seven had a Glasgow Coma Score (GCS) of less than or equal to 8 on scene, of which five required intubation. Five patients required ventilation and a period of treatment on the Intensive Therapy Unit (ITU). There were no cervical spine (C-spine) injuries, nor neurological complications. There were two incidences of aspiration pneumonia. All of the patients made a full recovery. It is concluded that patients presenting with this injury go on to make a full recovery, despite an often dismal initial clinical picture.
authors.affiliation: Accident and Emergency Department, Milton Keynes General Hospital, Eaglestone, Milton Keynes MK6 5LD, UK. sj_hanna@yahoo.co.uk
authors.forename: S J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Hanna
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital; D005260:Female; D023261:Glasgow Outcome Scale; D006801:Humans; D007902:Length of Stay; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D019838:Neck Injuries / Q000523:psychology*; D012151:Resuscitation / Q000379:methods; D013406:Suicide, Attempted / Q000706:statistics & numerical data