title: Suicide by a circular saw.
abstract: The case of a suicide of a 32-year-old female using an electric circular saw is herein described. The decedent was suffering from depression and was found dead in her room. Beside her right hand was lying a circular saw, which was not running. The autopsy revealed a large gaping wound measuring 15.5 cm in length on the right side of her neck. The right external carotid artery, the right internal jugular vein, and the right internal carotid artery were cut and the injury reached to the cervical vertebra. Therefore, the cause of death was exsanguination. An individual who commits suicide with an electric saw, such as a chain saw, band saw, and circular saw is rare; in particular females rarely select this method as the means of suicide. However, we herein report the case of a female patient with a psychiatric disease who successfully committed suicide with a circular saw.
authors.affiliation: Department of Legal Medicine, Kobe University Graduate School of Medicine, 7-5-1 Kusunoki-cho, Chuo-ku, Kobe 650-0017, Japan. asano@med.kobe-u.ac.jp
authors.forename: Migiwa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Asano
authors.forename: Hideyuki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Nushida
authors.forename: Yasushi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Nagasaki
authors.forename: Yasuhiro
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ueno
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D020212:Carotid Artery Injuries / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology; D002574:Cervical Vertebrae / Q000293:injuries / Q000473:pathology; D003863:Depression / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D049429:Forensic Pathology; D006801:Humans; D007601:Jugular Veins / Q000473:pathology; D019838:Neck Injuries / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology*; D013405:Suicide; D014950:Wounds, Penetrating / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology*