Laryngeal choking on food and acute ethanol intoxication in adults--An autopsy study.
The retrospective autopsy study included 98 adults who died because of laryngeal choking on a bolus of food: 67 men and 31 women (χ(2)=6.843, p<0.01), average age 58.61±15.87 years (range 26-92 years). Most of the subjects had poor dentition (χ(2) =34.327, p<0.01). Twenty individuals died in medical institutions, and 78 were nonhospitalized individuals. More than a third of the nonhospitalized individuals were under the influence of ethanol at the moment of death: average blood concentration 8.3g/dL (SD=11.0), ranged from 5.0 to 36.0. Nonhospitalized persons were at the moment of event more often under influence of ethanol than the subjects in control group (χ(2)= 38.874, p<0.01), and at the same time significantly more intoxicated (z=-7.126, p<0.01). Our study pointed out that poor dentition and impairment of the swallowing reflex, as a consequence of ethanol intoxication in individuals without mental disorders, were the most important risk factors for bolus death.
Nikolić
Slobodan
S
The Institute of Forensic Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia.
Zivković
Vladimir
V
Dragan
Babic
B
Juković
Fehim
F
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000402:Airway Obstruction / Q000209:etiology*; D000435:Alcoholic Intoxication / Q000453:epidemiology*; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000453:epidemiology; D001237:Asphyxia / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002492:Central Nervous System Depressants / Q000097:blood; D003817:Dentition; D000431:Ethanol / Q000097:blood; D005260:Female; D005502:Food; D049429:Forensic Pathology; D053593:Forensic Toxicology; D006760:Hospitalization / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology; D008875:Middle Aged; D009909:Oral Health; D012189:Retrospective Studies
D002492:Central Nervous System Depressants; D000431:Ethanol