The risk of accidental childhood asphyxia in various recreational and domestic settings has been repeatedly stressed, and represents an important target for preventive action. In infants, most unintentional deaths associated with asphyxia are sleep related—eg, suffocation by
The risk of accidental childhood asphyxia in various recreational and domestic settings has been repeatedly stressed, and represents an important target for preventive action. In infants, most unintentional deaths associated with asphyxia are sleep related—eg, suffocation by an overlying adult, smothering by bedding or a pillow, or wedging between a mattress and bed frame.1
Strangulation is less common in infants than in toddlers, and is very seldom reported in the hospital setting.
In 2004 we investigated a fatal strangulation by intravenous (iv) tubing during hospital treatment. A 10 month-old girl with a history of acute lymphoblastic leukaemia was admitted to a local hospital for cytostatic 