Absolutely.
It’s called compressive asphyxia.
The
lungs work like a bellows. The muscles between the ribs and the diaphragm
operate together to expand the chest cavity and draw in air—inhalation.
Relaxation of these muscles results in exhalation. Anything that restricts this
movement leads to decreased oxygen coming into the lungs and then into the
bloodstream. Carbon dioxide builds up, oxygen levels drop; the victim passes
out and eventually dies from lack of oxygen.
Anything
else that depresses the respiratory center in the brain makes it more likely
asphyxia will occur—alcoholic intoxication, sedatives, extreme cold exposure,
illness, and extremes of age.
Examples include:
Constrictor
snake—like a python
An
adult sharing a bed with a small child or infant rolls over on them
Crowds
and panic, resulting in individuals crushed and unable to breathe
Pinned
by a large weight, such as becoming trapped under a heavy box or piece of
equipment
Restraint—the
victim is facedown and the individual doing the restraining may press or kneel
Burking
A
combination of compression and smothering (occluding the airway) was utilized
by William Burke and William Hare in 1828 in a series of homicides. The two men
got their victim intoxicated and sat on the chest of the victim (compression)
while occluding the mouth and nose (smothering).
Questions? Comments?
~*~
Kelly has worked in the medical field for over twenty years, mainly at large medical centers. With experience in a variety of settings, chances are Kelly may have seen it.
Sometimes truth seems stranger than fiction in medicine, but accurate medicine in fiction is fabulous.
~*~
Kelly has worked in the medical field for over twenty years, mainly at large medical centers. With experience in a variety of settings, chances are Kelly may have seen it.
Sometimes truth seems stranger than fiction in medicine, but accurate medicine in fiction is fabulous.
Find Kelly’s fiction at www.kellywhitley.com
