Profile of deaths due to hanging- An autopsy based retrospective study at a tertiary care centre in Indore

Hanging is that form of violent asphyxial death which is caused (i) either by the exclusion of air from lungs or oxygenated blood from the brain, (ii) by means of ligature around the neck, (iii) the constricting force is the weight of the body. It is the second most commonly used suicide methods in India and has a high mortality. The materials required are easily available, and a wide range of ligatures can be used. Hanging is the most common form of asphyxial death that forensic experts come across in their practice. The present study was conducted in the Department of Forensic Medicine & Toxicology of Sri Aurobindo Medical College & PGI, Indore, from January 2013 to December 2017. Total 113 cases of hanging were found in this duration. The different aspects of hanging cases like sex ratio, age group involved, residence, ligature material used, type of hanging, place of hanging, salivary stain marks, the position of the knot and other Postmortem findings have been discussed in detail in this study.