A Sauvageau

..Despite the fact that extending the presented data on all cases of hanging asphyxia would be a mistake, this case gives a very interesting insight into movement and respiratory response to asphyxia by hanging...

..The literature on suicidal stabbing, particularly focusing on the type of weapon and localisation of wounds, is reviewed...

..In contrast, results showed a higher average age for planned complex suicide victims. Finally, the authors discuss the application of the complex suicide definition...

..Until now, the bloodstain patterns in these fatal cases have not been described. An examination of the bloodstain pattern in a case of fatal varicose vein rupture in an 84-year-old man is here reported...

..This 5-year retrospective study may contribute to a better understanding of typical deaths in the 4-19 group of age and therefore, bring a working basis for the forensic pathologist or medical examiner/coroner...

..Possible suspicion criteria for limb bruises distribution are discussed, in relation to physiopathology of human asphyxia by hanging...

..It is usually seen with prolonged labour. We report a case of caput succedaneum in a forensic autopsy that overturned the mother's history of giving birth suddenly, consequently increasing the evidence of neonaticide...

..We here present the case of a 56-year-old woman found dead from a homicidal traumatic heart perforation by a D5 osteophyte...

..We report the unusual case of a death due to an apparent allergic reaction following ecstasy ingestion...

..We here report a case of a 2-year-old boy presenting with all the classic autopsy findings of SBS from a playground rocking toy shaken by an older child...

..Hence, in a context of forensic pathologist shortage, the improvement of coroner continuous training may reduce the workload...

..This systematic review allows an interesting insight into the physiopathology of those deaths, pointing more toward heart failure than to an asphyxial phenomenon per se...

..Despite the great experience of the investigative team, autoerotic death was not considered at first. This case illustrates the importance of forensic teams having knowledge of the particularities of female autoerotic deaths...

..In those two cases, investigation clearly provided evidence of prolonged survival: slightly more than 2h for the first case and about 8h for the second. Relevant literature is revised and physiopathological hypotheses are discussed...

..We present the case of a 55-year-old man who died from fatal asphyxia caused by a thyroglossal cyst...

..A review of the literature is presented and a new term, "suicide by inhalation of carbon monoxide in a fire," is proposed for such cases...

..We report here the first case of sudden and unexplained death from acute hepatitis in infectious mononucleosis presenting as a suspicious death...

..He was submersed, tied underwater to a boat and was using a home-made diving apparatus for air supply. Death was ruled as accidental autoerotic asphyxia from rebreathing, caused by the faulty air-supply device...

..7%), overdressing/body wrapping (1.5%), foreign body insertion (1.2%), atypical asphyxia method (2.9%), and miscellaneous (1.0%). All these atypical methods are further discussed individually...

..The man was not able to move or to get up and his spouse, unable to lift him up, did not seek help. Although the victim's spouse reported having taking care of him, the man died four days later from a fatal hyperglycaemia...

..Here, we present a case of suicide by choking on toilet paper in a patient with a long history of schizophrenia. The case was ruled a suicide based on the patient having been witnessed in a previous unsuccessful attempt of the same act...

..Furthermore, new data without actual literature correlates were obtained in the conducting of this study and are presented here...

..Nevertheless, this relatively higher homicidal rate may be a reminder that homicidal hangings do sometimes occur. This study emphasises the importance of not disregarding this manner of death in hangings...

..No left or right predominance was observed in hesitations marks or defense wounds. Defense wounds were more widely distributed on the upper limbs than hesitation marks...

..Obese people are equally susceptible to unnatural causes of death and it is crucial to maintain an adequate level of suspicion while investigating the cases of these individuals...

..Despite differences in the types of hanging, this unique study reveals similarities that are further discussed...

..Based on the most discriminating criteria, a decision tree was constructed to be potentially applicable to future cases...

..The body of the deceased was completely naked, with a complex bondage system of ropes. In the victim's bedroom closet, a suitcase contained similar ropes and belts suggesting prior autoerotic activity. Semen was also found at the scene...

..External hemorrhage is an unusual complication of this common venous pathology. Reported here are 2 cases of severe external hemorrhage resulting from the perforation of a varicose vein...

..We here report the case of a 34-year-old man who died due to asphyxia, secondary to body wrapping in the largest and most complex plastic bag ever involved in a published case of autoerotic death...

..In a general context of financing problems, it can be appealing to management team to restrict access to external consultants. This study is important in reminding that such money savings do not come without a decrease in quality...

..The autopsy showed that both gunshot wounds were nonlethal and the cause of death was attributed to drowning. Though homicide was strongly suspected at first, the manner of death was later established as suicide...

..Although rare, it is a cause of sudden death not to be overlooked, especially in children...

..The woman's genitals were exposed, with her trousers down over her thighs. Rape homicide was strongly suspected, but autopsy findings proved otherwise...

..This very unique case of intentional suicidal decapitation is the first reported case of a planned system intended to create decapitation outside the unique case of homemade guillotine and the more common decapitation by train...

..Afterwards, they saw him running to the top of the basement stairs and jumping to the bottom of the stairs head first...

..Her feet were tied and elevated by a rope attached to the shower head and a hammer was taped to her forehead. This very unique suicide is reported along with review of the literature on suicide in the bath...

..The results revealed predictability rates varying from 62.5 to 83.3% for criteria pointing towards a fall. As for combined criteria in favor of a blow, the assumption was accurate in all cases (100%)...

..This technique was called tameshi-giri. Although the practice on human beings has since disappeared, the remaining cutting test records represent precious information about human body's resistance to sharp weapons...

..In conclusion, this study establishes three criteria in favor of blows: (i) localization of a wound above the hat brim line; (ii) left side lateralization; and (iii) a high number of lacerations...

..Despite the usual high professionalism and respectful behaviour of the forensic staff, we observed in these cases breaches of confidentiality, laxity of work and an offhand attitude. Ethical dimensions are discussed...