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The American Journal of Forensic... Sep 2020Serious intrapartum fetal injuries are unfortunate events that confer severe consequences on medical personnel. Most birth traumas are noncritical and resolve for a few...
Serious intrapartum fetal injuries are unfortunate events that confer severe consequences on medical personnel. Most birth traumas are noncritical and resolve for a few days. Permanent effects or fatal outcomes occur infrequently. We report an unusual case of intrapartum complete fetal decapitation. The labor was complicated by shoulder dystocia, with resultant repeated mechanical trauma to the fetal neck and, finally, decapitation. The tragic results of biological processes in human organisms do not automatically confirm medical malpractice. However, there may be grave ethical and forensic outcomes.
Topics: Adult; Birth Injuries; Decapitation; Female; Humans; Infant, Newborn; Labor, Induced; Pregnancy; Shoulder Dystocia; Vacuum Extraction, Obstetrical
PubMed: 32796208
DOI: 10.1097/PAF.0000000000000556 -
Journal of Perinatal Medicine May 2022
Topics: Decapitation; Delivery, Obstetric; Dystocia; Female; Humans; Pregnancy; Shoulder; Shoulder Dystocia; Vacuum Extraction, Obstetrical
PubMed: 34904426
DOI: 10.1515/jpm-2021-0638 -
The American Journal of Forensic... Sep 2011Blunt trauma to the head and neck of a newborn during delivery process is a rare event. We report a peculiar case of decapitation of a live fetus during vacuum-assisted...
Blunt trauma to the head and neck of a newborn during delivery process is a rare event. We report a peculiar case of decapitation of a live fetus during vacuum-assisted delivery, where excessive traction on the head of the full-term macrosomic fetus with shoulder dystocia resulted in overstretching of the neck up to the point of decapitation. The ethical considerations related to the case are discussed in light of the policy of complete transparency advocated by the medical profession. Despite the existence of regulations regarding full disclosure of errors to the medical institution, the Ministry of Health and to the patient, medical practitioners are reluctant to divulge all the details of adverse events to the patient.
Topics: Adult; Cervical Vertebrae; Decapitation; Dystocia; Esophagus; Female; Fetal Macrosomia; Humans; Infant, Newborn; Male; Neck Muscles; Pregnancy; Shoulder; Trachea; Vacuum Extraction, Obstetrical
PubMed: 20190630
DOI: 10.1097/PAF.0b013e3181d3d9be -
Forensic Science International Nov 2017The aim of our study was to examine all types of decapitation from forensic literature, including our own case, and to analyze the presentation of beheading in fine art,... (Review)
Review
The aim of our study was to examine all types of decapitation from forensic literature, including our own case, and to analyze the presentation of beheading in fine art, popular literature, and music. To do this, over 200 scientific articles in regard to decapitation were analyzed, as well as more than 10,000 artworks, and several hundreds of literary works and music pieces. In addition, a macroscopic examination of a decapitated victim was performed. Finally, a multislice computerized tomography (MSCT) examination of the cervical spine in two live volunteers was undertaken to present the osteological relationships. The forensic and criminal investigation revealed that a female victim was murdered by her jealous husband by applying several strikes with an axe, which resulted in an incomplete decapitation. All the main neck structures were transected, including the cervical spine, except a smaller part of the skin and soft tissue in the nuchal region. The mentioned MSCT examination in both the neutral position and flexion showed that the mandible can also be injured in a higher cervical location of the severance line. Various types of beheading were mentioned, including a homicidal, suicidal, accidental, judicial, internal, pathophysiological, and foetal ones. The status of consciousness and emotions in individuals just before and after decapitation was discussed. Finally, it was found that decapitation was the subject of many artists, and some writers and musicians. In conclusion, we presented a rare case of a homicide beheading performed with an axe. In addition, forensic importance of decapitation was discussed, as well as its great medical, social, anthropological, and artistic significance.
Topics: Art; Cervical Vertebrae; Decapitation; Female; History, 15th Century; History, 16th Century; History, 17th Century; History, 18th Century; History, 19th Century; History, 20th Century; History, Ancient; History, Medieval; Homicide; Humans; Literature; Middle Aged; Multidetector Computed Tomography; Music
PubMed: 28988068
DOI: 10.1016/j.forsciint.2017.09.014 -
Forensic Science, Medicine, and... Dec 2021Suicide by decapitation as a primary method of injury is not common. When decapitation does occur in association with suicide, it may be a secondary consequence of the...
Suicide by decapitation as a primary method of injury is not common. When decapitation does occur in association with suicide, it may be a secondary consequence of the primary method of suicide, for example massive blunt force trauma, or hanging with a significant drop; however, primary suicidal decapitation has been described specifically in the context of railway incidents wherein victims lie across railroad tracks in-front of oncoming trains. Herein we report the case of a 49-year-old male who was decapitated after lying-down with his neck atop a railroad track in a railroad stockyard. He was subsequently run over by a train as it began to move to leave the stockyard. This case of train-assisted suicide occurs less often than the more common modality of suicide by train wherein victims stand or jump in front of a moving train or lay their body across the railroad tracks in order to be struck by an oncoming train.
Topics: Decapitation; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Neck; Railroads; Suicidal Ideation
PubMed: 34106423
DOI: 10.1007/s12024-021-00396-8 -
Journal of Forensic and Legal Medicine Jul 2019Decapitation resulting by vehicle-assisted ligature strangulation is a suicide method rarely described in the literature. The lesions observed at autopsy have a common... (Review)
Review
Decapitation resulting by vehicle-assisted ligature strangulation is a suicide method rarely described in the literature. The lesions observed at autopsy have a common morphology with to those found in post-hanging decapitation. They depend on the force applied by the acceleration of the vehicle, the slope of the road and the characteristics of the link used. They can also mimic a stabbing homicide. We report the case of a 43-year-old man who used a long steel rope, attached between his neck and a streetlight, and started his vehicle, causing a complete decapitation. The results of the autopsy provided information on the morphology of the cervical lesions, but also on the causes of death. In spite of decapitation, the histological examination of the organs confirmed the presence of asphyxiation process by a mechanical origin that occurred before decapitation.
Topics: Adult; Asphyxia; Automobiles; Decapitation; Forensic Pathology; Humans; Male; Suicide
PubMed: 31146145
DOI: 10.1016/j.jflm.2019.05.015 -
Legal Medicine (Tokyo, Japan) Jun 2024Suicidal hanging resulting in decapitation is rarely documented. This discussion involves a case of a 35-year-old man found decapitated in his residence's garden. A... (Review)
Review
INTRODUCTION
Suicidal hanging resulting in decapitation is rarely documented. This discussion involves a case of a 35-year-old man found decapitated in his residence's garden. A systematic literature review on hanging-induced decapitation was conducted to comprehensively investigate and compare the case to existing literature. The study aims to identify frequently described post-mortem findings in cases of suicidal hanging leading to decapitation.
CASE REPORT
A 35-year-old man was found decapitated in his garden, with a jute strap and chimney debris nearby. The cervical region was completely severed along the dorsoventral and craniocaudal plane, exposing internal structures. A ligature mark was present, along with Amussat's sign and Simon's bleeding.
METHODS
The systematic review of the literature followed PRISMA standards, analyzing 3622 publications from Google Scholar, PubMed, and Scopus databases up to 2023. Inclusion criteria comprised cases of complete or incomplete decapitation resulting from hanging, available in full-text and written in English.
RESULTS
16 articles on hanging-induced decapitation met the selection criteria; 22 cases were analyzed. Studies, mostly from Europe, showed a mean victim age of 44.3, all male. Fall height ranged from 1 m to 18 m, with various suspension media. Most cases displayed complete decapitation, primarily between cervical vertebrae C1 and C3. Some cases noted collateral findings.
CONCLUSIONS
Complete crime scene investigation and thorough post-mortem examination are crucial for reconstructing events, especially with confounding elements. Precise evidence collection and literature comparison are essential to understand the case and substantiate the forensic pathologist's hypothesis in court.
PubMed: 38838410
DOI: 10.1016/j.legalmed.2024.102464 -
Current Biology : CB Jul 2023Extreme neck elongation was a common evolutionary strategy among Mesozoic marine reptiles, occurring independently in several lineages. Despite its evolutionary success,...
Extreme neck elongation was a common evolutionary strategy among Mesozoic marine reptiles, occurring independently in several lineages. Despite its evolutionary success, such an elongate neck might have been particularly susceptible to predation, but direct evidence for this possibility has been lacking. Composed of only 13 hyperelongate vertebrae and associated strut-like ribs, the configuration of the long neck of the Triassic archosauromorph Tanystropheus is unique among tetrapods. It was probably stiffened and used to catch prey through an ambush-strategy. Here, we show that the neck was completely severed in two Tanystropheus specimens (Figure 1), most likely due to a predatory attack, providing vivid evidence of predator-prey interactions among Mesozoic marine reptiles that are rarely preserved in the fossil record. The recurring incidence of decapitation suggests that the elongate neck was a functional weak spot in Tanystropheus, and possibly the long-necked marine reptile bauplan more generally.
Topics: Animals; Phylogeny; Decapitation; Biological Evolution; Reptiles; Fossils
PubMed: 37343555
DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2023.04.027 -
Cureus Jan 2023Since the development of the infamous guillotine in the French Revolution, physicians have debated how long consciousness persists in decapitated heads. Fueled by... (Review)
Review
Since the development of the infamous guillotine in the French Revolution, physicians have debated how long consciousness persists in decapitated heads. Fueled by anecdotes of severed heads that blink, blush, and appear to retain intelligence, numerous experiments have investigated this macabre subject for nearly 250 years. In this paper, we examine the evidence, both historical and modern, and ultimately conclude that, while the truth may never be fully known, all evidence appears to indicate that loss of consciousness appears to occur within seconds of decapitation. The rumors that circulated through the European consciousness during the Terror of the French Revolution appear to be just that - curious urban legends from an awed and terrified public.
PubMed: 36819446
DOI: 10.7759/cureus.33830 -
Forensic Science International Nov 1999A report is presented on a 47 year old man who committed suicide by hanging himself from a staircase bannister of an apartment house. The man, weighing 144 kg jumped... (Review)
Review
A report is presented on a 47 year old man who committed suicide by hanging himself from a staircase bannister of an apartment house. The man, weighing 144 kg jumped with the noose of a 2 cm thick and 2 m long hemp rope around his neck and was completely decapitated. Death from typical "normal" suicidal hanging is usually due to cerebral ischaemia caused by compression of the carotid (and vertebral) arteries. Except for bleeding at the clavicular insertions of the sternocleidomastoid muscles there are only occasional injuries to the cervical soft parts or hyoid bone and/or laryngeal cartilage. A fall with a noose around the neck, on the other hand, is associated with more frequent injuries to cervical structures through additional axial traction and radial shearing forces of the tightening noose. Complete decapitation can occur in rare cases under extreme conditions (heavy body weight, inelastic and/or thin rope material, fall from a great height).
Topics: Craniocerebral Trauma; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Neck Injuries; Suicide
PubMed: 10629968
DOI: 10.1016/s0379-0738(99)00140-1