Journal of Indian Academy of Forensic Medicine
Year : 2024, Volume : 46, Issue : 1
First page : ( 90) Last page : ( 92)
Print ISSN : 0971-0973. Online ISSN : 0974-0848.
Article DOI : 10.48165/jiafm.2024.46.1.22

Dilemma of the general surgeon in a medico-legal autopsy of a case of traumatic asphyxia: A unique case report

Sahu MR^*, Padhi KS

Department of Forensic Medicine & Toxicology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Bhubaneswar

^*Corresponding Author, Dr. Manas Ranjan Sahu (Additional Professor) Email: fmt_manas@aiimsbhubaneswar.edu.in, Mob No.: +91 94388 84095

Online published on 22 April, 2024.

Abstract

The ability to perform medicolegal autopsy does not necessarily give a registered medical practitioner the expertise over it which is a major setback in solving medicolegal cases. Manner of death is very much important to decide as like cause of death and time since death for the proper disposal of justice to the dead. Traumatic asphyxia is a type of mechanical asphyxia, where respiration is prevented by external pressure on the body, at the same time inhibiting respiratory movements and compromising venous return from the head. Here we present a case of traumatic asphyxia where a general surgeon who conducted the autopsy could not be convinced by the police investigation that tractor accident was the cause for which the deceased succumb to death without any external & internal injuries and meanwhile got confused with the findings in the body suspecting it to strangulation death which was finally resolved by the opinion of the subject expert.

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Keywords

Registered medical practitioner, Medicolegal autopsy, Traumatic asphyxia, Inquest.

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