<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><p> The pathophysiology of sudden death during apprehension remains largely unclear. The most frequently discussed mechanisms are excited delirium, positional asphyxia, metabolic acidosis, acute and chronic drug abuse, and autonomic instability. As in most areas of forensic medicine, much of the knowledge comes from case reports, which are of little use in understanding causality. Experimental studies of some aspects have been performed, and they show somewhat divergent results and interpretations. The aim of this review is to summarize the different proposed theories, and to point out important issues for further research.</p></abstract>

The pathophysiology of sudden death during apprehension remains largely unclear. The most frequently discussed mechanisms are excited delirium, positional asphyxia, metabolic acidosis, acute and chronic drug abuse, and autonomic instability. As in most areas of forensic medicine, much of the knowledge comes from case reports, which are of little use in understanding causality. Experimental studies of some aspects have been performed, and they show somewhat divergent results and interpretations. The aim of this review is to summarize the different proposed theories, and to point out important issues for further research.

Deaths during apprehensions of agitated persons. A review of proposed pathophysiological theories

Forensic Medicine, Department of Surgical Sciences, Uppsala University, Box 1024, 751 40 Uppsala, Sweden

Scandinavian Journal of Forensic Science

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

The pathophysiology of sudden death during apprehension remains largely unclear. The most frequently discussed mechanisms are excited delirium, positional...

Deaths during apprehensions of agitated persons. A review of proposed pathophysiological theories

Published Online: Mar 03, 2015

Page range: 3 - 8

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/sjfs-2013-0006

© Danish Society of Forensic Medicine

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.