NEAR HANGING PRESENTING TO AN ACCIDENT AND EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT

Victims of near hanging are being increasingly seen in accident and em ergency (A&E) departments. This paper reports on seven cases of near h anging seen over four years in a district general hospital. The mechan ism of injury is ligature strangulation rather than cervical spinal co rd injury. All cases of near hanging should be actively and vigorously resuscitated, as initial presenting features bear a poor correlation to eventual outcome.