An investigation of cardiopulmonary arrest (CPA) cases due to hanging admitted to our emergency medical center

Abstract

Objective: To investigate and report cases of hanging admitted to our emergency medical center over the past 8 years. Method: We retrospectively examined medical records of 203 cases of hanging admitted to our center from January 2003 to June 2011. Results: Of the 203 cases, 154 were in a state of cardiopulmonary arrest (CPA) when the ambulance team arrived; none of them survived. While the prevalence of bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) was significantly higher in the second half than in the first half, there was no significant improvement in the outcomes. The results indicated that a score of 3 on Glasgow coma scale and occurrence of CPA were factors for bad prognosis. Conclusions: As with previous reports, we conclude that the prognosis of cases of hanging with out-of-hospital CPA is extremely poor.