The course of respiration and circulation in death due to typical hanging

Experiments were carried out on 15 dogs to investigate the course of respiration andcirculation during the agonal period of death due to typical hanging. Animals were asphyxiated bya method simulating typical hanging. Electrocardiogram (ECG), electroencephalogram (EEG), blood pressure(BP) in the femoral artery and intrathoracic pressure (ITP) were registered. In typical hanging, the course of respiration was characterized by shorter stages of dyspnoea and initial apnoea and a longer stage of the terminal respiration when compared with obstructive asphyxia. However, thewhole time of the course of respiration and circulation in typical hanging was almost the same as that in obstructive asphyxia. The BP increased rapidly, was maintained during the dyspnoea stage, and then decreased gradually. EEG disappeared with,or a short time after, the end of the dyspnoea stage. The increased heart rate in the dyspnoea stage ramained untilcirculatory collapse. The analysis of the ECG complexes revealed that the heart muscle adapted to oxygendeficiency during typical hanging.