Accidental compression of the thoracic wall. Mechanical asphyxia rather than trauma is the main culprit

Christos Voucharas; Angeliki Vouchara; Fani Tsolaki; Ioannis Tagarakis; Georgios Tagarakis

doi:10.1016/j.tcr.2024.101064

Accidental compression of the thoracic wall. Mechanical asphyxia rather than trauma is the main culprit

Trauma Case Rep. 2024 Jun 6:52:101064. doi: 10.1016/j.tcr.2024.101064. eCollection 2024 Aug.

Authors

Christos Voucharas¹, Angeliki Vouchara¹, Fani Tsolaki¹, Ioannis Tagarakis¹, Georgios Tagarakis¹

Affiliation

¹ Medical School, Faculty of Health Sciences, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54636, Greece.

Abstract

We present three cases of traumatic asphyxia after thoracic compression. All victims were Caucasian males aged 22-50 years. One man was crushed by a truck trailer, another was crushed by an overturned vehicle, and the last was crushed by a large heavy stone slab. None of the patients survived the accident. There was no evidence of trauma or only minor trauma from the bones or vital organs of the thoracic cavity and abdomen.

Keywords: Thoracic compression; Thoracic trauma; Traumatic asphyxia.

Publication types

Case Reports