title: Suicidal nitrogen inhalation by use of scuba full-face diving mask.
abstract: A 29-year-old man was found dead lying on the bed in a hotel room in a famous Slovak mountain resort. He had a full-face diving mask on his face, connected through a diving breath regulator to a valve of an industrial (nondiving) high-pressure tank containing pure 100% nitrogen. The breath regulator (open-circuit type) used allowed inhalation of nitrogen without addition of open air, and the full-face diving mask assured aspiration of the gas even during the time of unconsciousness. At autopsy, we found the typical signs of suffocation. Toxicological analysis revealed 94.7% content of nitrogen in alveolar air. Following the completion of the police investigation, the manner of death was classified as a suicide. Within the medico-legal literature, there has been only one similar case of suicidal nitrogen inhalation described.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Forensic Medicine and Medicolegal Expertises, Jessenius Faculty of Medicine, Comenius University, University Hospital, Kollarova 2, 036 01, Martin, Slovak Republic.
authors.forename: Lubomir
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Straka
authors.affiliation: Institute of Forensic Medicine and Medicolegal Expertises, Jessenius Faculty of Medicine, Comenius University, University Hospital, Kollarova 2, 036 01, Martin, Slovak Republic.
authors.forename: Frantisek
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Novomesky
authors.affiliation: Department of Forensic Medicine, Health Care Surveillance Authority, Banicka 803, 058 01, Poprad, Slovak Republic.
authors.forename: Anton
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gavel
authors.affiliation: Department of Forensic Medicine, Health Care Surveillance Authority, Antolska 11, 845 45, Bratislava, Slovak Republic.
authors.forename: Juraj
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Mlynar
authors.affiliation: Institute of Forensic Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Charles University, Sokolská 581, 500 05, Hradec Kralove, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: Petr
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Hejna
mesh_terms: D000280:Administration, Inhalation; D000328:Adult; D001237:Asphyxia / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000473:pathology; D001921:Brain / Q000473:pathology; D001929:Brain Edema / Q000473:pathology; D002849:Chromatography, Gas; D004242:Diving; D049429:Forensic Pathology; D006470:Hemorrhage / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D008099:Liver / Q000473:pathology; D008168:Lung / Q000737:chemistry / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008397:Masks; D009206:Myocardium / Q000473:pathology; D009584:Nitrogen / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000032:analysis / Q000506:poisoning*; D011654:Pulmonary Edema / Q000473:pathology; D013405:Suicide
chemical_list: D009584:Nitrogen
keywords: analysis of alveolar air; forensic pathology; forensic science; full-face diving mask; gaseous suffocation; nitrogen; nitrogen asphyxiation; sudden sniffing death; suicide
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