Unmasking Negative Pressure Pulmonary Edema Following Hanging: A Case Series

Pulmonary edema is a rare mechanism of death that develops after partial hanging, a potential complication that physicians should consider early in the management of these patients. This case series discusses the presentation, evaluation, and treatment course of three patients who had attempted suic...

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Published inCurēus (Palo Alto, CA) Vol. 16; no. 6; p. e61556
Main Authors Athish, K K, Guruprasad, T J, Spurthy, Padmanabha, Harshitha, K R
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Palo Alto Cureus Inc 02.06.2024
Cureus
Subjects
Acidosis
Auscultation
Blood pressure
Bronchoscopy
Cardiac arrhythmia
Cyanosis
Diuretics
Edema
Electrocardiography
Emergency Medicine
Emphysema
Hemodynamics
Hemorrhage
Injuries
Internal Medicine
Intubation
Lungs
Metabolism
Neck
Pulmonary arteries
Pulmonology
Strangulation
Suctioning
Suicides & suicide attempts
Thorax
Toxicology
Ventilators
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Summary:Pulmonary edema is a rare mechanism of death that develops after partial hanging, a potential complication that physicians should consider early in the management of these patients. This case series discusses the presentation, evaluation, and treatment course of three patients who had attempted suicide by hanging and were admitted to the hospital. These patients were admitted to the intensive care unit after being stabilized and supportive treatment was provided. In all the cases, a radiological scan of the chest revealed diffuse infiltrates consistent with pulmonary edema on both sides, features of which were also noted during a diagnostic bronchoscopy. After providing the best intensive care in the hospital, two patients clinically improved, and one patient succumbed to cardiac arrest. As most patients will be brought dead to the hospital following hanging, negative pressure pulmonary edema remains underdiagnosed. Thus, this case series enumerates the possible etiologies of negative pressure pulmonary edema and its contribution to death following suicidal hanging.
Bibliography:ObjectType-Case Study-2
SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1
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ISSN:2168-8184
2168-8184
DOI:10.7759/cureus.61556