One Hundred and One Cases of Plastic Bag Suffocation in the Milan Area Between 1993 and 2013—Correlations,Circumstances, Pathological and Forensic Evidences and Literature Review |
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| Authors: | Graziano Domenico Luigi Crudele M.D. Domenico Di Candia B.Sc. Guendalina Gentile B.Sc. Matteo Marchesi M.D. Alessandra Rancati M.D. Riccardo Zoja M.D. Ph.D. |
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| Affiliation: | 1. Dipartimento di Scienze Biomediche per la Salute, Sezione di Medicina Legale e delle Assicurazioni, Milan, Italy;2. Dipartimento di Scienze Biomediche, Chirurgiche ed Odontoiatriche, Sezione di Tossicologia Forense, Università degli Studi di Milano, Via Luigi Mangiagalli 37, 20133 Milan, Italy;3. Ospedale Papa Giovanni XXIII, Bergamo, Italy |
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| Abstract: | Plastic Bag Suffocation is a rare cause of death in developed countries and almost unknown in the rest of the world. This study aims to retrospectively evaluate cases of PBS _asphyxia in Milan's Department of Legal Medicine from 1993 to 2013. Cases were selected from the database of 21,472 autopsies performed in the considered timeframe. One hundred and one cases were considered to be cases of Plastic Bag Suffocation, comprised of 100 suicides, no accidental events and 1 homicide. The most relevant elements pertaining to this type of death were evaluated for both the corpses and the crime scenes. From this study the typical PBS victim is an adult male, aged 52.3 years on average, depressed or afflicted by chronic or terminal diseases, and found at home. In 42.6% of cases, the victims were found with the plastic bag still positioned over their head, fastened by tying. Also common among these cases are drugs, alcohol and chemical abuses. According to the collected data, it is impossible to outline a pathognomonic detrimental background that leads to this cause of death. Crime scene investigation is, therefore, the one and only technical resource for evaluating these cases. |
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| Keywords: | forensic science forensic pathology asphyxia plastic bag suffocation autopsy |
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