Frecuencia y caracterización de las muertes por asfixia mecánica reportados en el Servicio de Ciencias Forenses de Loja, años 2017 a 2020

Abstract

Background: mechanical asphyxia represents one of the most prevalent causes of violent death worldwide; its etiology is as diverse as its types. Findings found at autopsy range from general to more specific, related to the type of asphyxiation that caused death. Objective: establish the frequency and characterization of deaths from mechanical asphyxia registered by the National Forensic Science Service of Loja, during the period from January 2017 to December 2020. Methodology: quantitative, observational, descriptive, cross-sectional approach. Data collected from existing medical-legal autopsy protocols at the Forensic Science Center, inclusion criteria within the period from 2017 to 2020, being the sample the whole universe. The information is collected through a form prepared by the author, including variables of interest. Database elaborated in Excel, statistical processing performed in SPSS, using statistical mode. Results: the highest number of deaths from mechanical asphyxia occurred in the male population, age group from 25 to 65 years old, more frequently in singles, the most common cause of mechanical asphyxia is hanging, followed by suffocation; the most frequent etiology was suicidal, followed by accidental. Conclusions: the male, single, and adult population, is mostly exposed to this type of event, mainly of a suicidal nature. General and guiding signs are not pathognomonic, but they represent an important tool for proper diagnosis within a legal investigation.