Nair S, Jacob J, Aaron S, Thomas M, Joseph M, Alexander M. Pulmonary distress following attempted suicidal hanging.
ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2009. [PMID:
19359767 DOI:
10.4103/0019-5359.49227]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE
To assess the incidence of post-hanging pulmonary distress in cases of attempted suicidal hanging and predictors of outcome among these patients.
DESIGN
Five-year retrospective analysis.
SETTING
Tertiary care center in south India.
PATIENTS
A total of 335 patients who attempted suicidal hanging, aged above 16 years, were admitted during this period. Thirty-eight of them with pulmonary distress established clinically and with radiological evidence of pulmonary injury post hanging met the inclusion criteria.
MEASUREMENTS
Data from ICU records of 5 years, X-rays and laboratory investigations were reviewed. In patients identified to have post-hanging pulmonary distress, the neurological status, chest x-rays, arterial blood gas values and outcome data were collected and analyzed.
RESULTS
Eleven percent (n = 38) of the 335 patients admitted following attempted suicidal hanging were diagnosed to have post-hanging pulmonary distress. The overall mortality among post-hanging patients was 5%, which increased to 34.2% (n = 13) in the presence of pulmonary distress (P < or = 0.001). Among the prognostic factors evaluated, a PaO 2 / FiO 2 (P/F) ratio of < 100 at admission predicted a poor outcome (P < or = 0.001).
CONCLUSION
Post-hanging pulmonary distress is a relatively common complication of hanging and is associated with increased mortality. P/F ratio from arterial blood gas at admission was the only significant predictor of outcome in this group of patients.
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