Strangulation injuries - PubMed

Affiliations

• PMID: 12822289

Case Reports

Strangulation injuries

Maureen Funk et al. WMJ. 2003.

Abstract

Strangulation accounts for 10% of all violent deaths in the United States. Many people who are strangled survive. These survivors may have minimal visible external findings. Because of the slowly compressive nature of the forces involved in strangulation, clinicians should be aware of the potential for significant complications including laryngeal fractures, upper airway edema, and vocal cord immobility. Survivors are most often assaulted during an incident of intimate partner violence or sexual assault, and need to be specifically asked if they were strangled. Many survivors of strangulation will not volunteer this information. Accurate documentation in the medical chart is essential to substantiate a survivor's account of the incident. Medical providers are a significant community resource with the responsibility to provide expert information to patients and other systems working with survivors of strangulation. This case study reviews a strangulation victim who exhibited some classic findings.

Similar articles

• Domestic violence: no place for a smile.

  Gwinn C, McClane GE, Shanel-Hogan KA, Strack GB. Gwinn C, et al. J Calif Dent Assoc. 2004 May;32(5):399-409. J Calif Dent Assoc. 2004. PMID: 15253462

• Recognition and Documentation of Strangulation Crimes: A Review.

  Armstrong M Jr, Strack GB. Armstrong M Jr, et al. JAMA Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2016 Sep 1;142(9):891-7. doi: 10.1001/jamaoto.2016.0293. JAMA Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2016. PMID: 27308820 Review.

• "I didn't know I could turn colors": Health problems and health care experiences of women strangled by an intimate partner.

  Joshi M, Thomas KA, Sorenson SB. Joshi M, et al. Soc Work Health Care. 2012;51(9):798-814. doi: 10.1080/00981389.2012.692352. Soc Work Health Care. 2012. PMID: 23078012

• Living victims of strangulation: a 10-year review of cases in a metropolitan community.

  Shields LB, Corey TS, Weakley-Jones B, Stewart D. Shields LB, et al. Am J Forensic Med Pathol. 2010 Dec;31(4):320-5. doi: 10.1097/paf.0b013e3181d3dc02. Am J Forensic Med Pathol. 2010. PMID: 21171201

• Acute injury patterns of intimate partner violence victims.

  Sheridan DJ, Nash KR. Sheridan DJ, et al. Trauma Violence Abuse. 2007 Jul;8(3):281-9. doi: 10.1177/1524838007303504. Trauma Violence Abuse. 2007. PMID: 17596345 Review.

Cited by

• Injuries of Women Surviving Intimate Partner Strangulation and Subsequent Emergency Health Care Seeking: An Integrative Evidence Review.

  Patch M, Anderson JC, Campbell JC. Patch M, et al. J Emerg Nurs. 2018 Jul;44(4):384-393. doi: 10.1016/j.jen.2017.12.001. Epub 2017 Dec 30. J Emerg Nurs. 2018. PMID: 29292069 Free PMC article.

• CT angiograms of the neck in strangulation victims: incidence of positive findings at a level one trauma center over a 7-year period.

  Zuberi OS, Dixon T, Richardson A, Gandhe A, Hadi M, Joshi J. Zuberi OS, et al. Emerg Radiol. 2019 Oct;26(5):485-492. doi: 10.1007/s10140-019-01690-3. Epub 2019 May 4. Emerg Radiol. 2019. PMID: 31055673

• Longitudinal visibility of MRI findings in living victims of strangulation.

  Bauer M, Hollenstein C, Lieb JM, Grassegger S, Haas T, Egloff L, Berger C, Scheurer E, Lenz C. Bauer M, et al. Int J Legal Med. 2024 Jul;138(4):1425-1436. doi: 10.1007/s00414-024-03207-1. Epub 2024 Apr 2. Int J Legal Med. 2024. PMID: 38561435 Free PMC article.

• Assault by strangulation: sex differences in patient profile and subsequent readmissions.

  Jacob B, Cullen N, Haag HL, Chan V, Stock D, Colantonio A. Jacob B, et al. Can J Public Health. 2020 Aug;111(4):492-501. doi: 10.17269/s41997-019-00286-1. Epub 2020 Feb 11. Can J Public Health. 2020. PMID: 32048232 Free PMC article.

• A Four-Country Study of Strangulation-Related Alterations in Consciousness in Women Who Have Experienced Intimate Partner Violence: Co-Occurrence with Traumatic Brain Injuries and Measures of Psychological Distress.

  Adhikari SP, Daugherty JC, Quiroz Molinares N, Maldonado-Rodriguez N, Wallace C, Smirl J, Perez-García M, De Los Reyes-Aragón CJ, Hidalgo-Ruzzante N, van Donkelaar P, Valera EM. Adhikari SP, et al. J Neurotrauma. 2024 Jul;41(13-14):e1666-e1677. doi: 10.1089/neu.2023.0440. Epub 2024 May 9. J Neurotrauma. 2024. PMID: 38666734

Publication types

MeSH terms