eMedinewS:Insights on Medicolegal Issues:Accidental suffocation

• There have been numerous accidental deaths as a result of children putting things into their mouths and swallowing them, which in turn block the airways. This is why it is imperative that small children are never left unattended and are not allowed to put anything in their mouths, which may result in their choking.
• People also die of suffocation in the instance of a house fire where there is a lack of oxygen and they cannot breathe. The postmortem examination in such cases provides information whether or not the victim was conscious at the time of the fire starting or if indeed they had already been deceased. This process is measured by the amount of carbon dioxide in the deceased’s system at the autopsy stage.
• Murder is comparatively rare however in some cases the assailant has tried to cover his or her tracks by setting fire to the location at which the deceased is finally found. This could be a house, an office, a workshop, anywhere.
• The autopsy surgeon must look for the telltale signs: the bloodshot eyes, the high levels of carbon dioxide in the blood and bruising around the nose and mouth and may even collect trace evidence such as hairs and fibers from around the nose and mouth of the deceased.
• As accidental suffocation or smothering is relatively common, therefore until proven otherwise by a forensic surgeon/doctor and subsequent inquest, all cases of suffocation or smothering should be treated as potentially suspicious.