How Do You Determine Asphyxiation As Cause Of Death?
Asphyxiation occurs when a person’s oxygen supply is cut off and air is unable to reach the lungs and surrounding blood supply. Death from asphyxiation can occur from many things, sometimes it’s accidental and sometimes it’s homicide. Do a visual examination of the victim. Look for the obvious signs of asphyxiation such as a rope, bruising on the neck or burst blood vessels in the eyes. Perform an autopsy to check for internal signs of asphyxiation. Swollen lungs indicate death from a lack of oxygen. If the hyoid bone in the neck is broken then the cause of death is asphyxiation caused by manual strangulation. Check the lungs to see if the victim died from asphyxiation caused by smoke inhalation. Smoke inhalation usually occurs with a death caused by a fire. Broken ribs can be a sign of a death caused by an accidental crush asphyxiation, which is caused when a victim is trapped under a heavy object that prevents them from being able to breathe. Understand that just because the victim w
