Which of the following are common signs of positional asphyxiation?

Officers and staff should recognise the following warning signs of positional asphyxia:

A person makes gurgling/ gasping sounds with foam or mucus coming from the nose or mouth;
A person shows any visual sign that they are struggling to breathe;

Does positional asphyxia exist?

Positional asphyxia, also known as postural asphyxia, is a form of asphyxia which occurs when someone’s position prevents the person from breathing adequately. Positional asphyxia also may be a result of the policing technique known as “prone restraint”, used by police, corrections, military, or health care staff.

How common is positional asphyxia in adults?

Positional asphyxia is a rare cause of death, responsible for only 1% of all asphyxial deaths in Lithuania and described in just 0.03% of autopsies performed between the years 2010–2016.

How do I prevent positional asphyxia?

The following actions will reduce the likelihood of a positional asphyxia death occurring: Identify persons at risk – knowledge of the risk factors will help identify potential situations. person should be repositioned from the face down/prone position as soon as practical. Do not sit or lean on the abdomen EVER.

How can the risk of positional asphyxia be reduced?

How to reduce the risk of positional asphyxia

Avoid anything that restricts the chest and abdomen in a prone, kneeling or forward reclining position.
Don’t restrain someone by bending them forward.
Put weight on someone’e back.
Constantly monitor the individual.
Only restrain the individual for as long as necessary.

How can you tell if someone died from asphyxiation?

There are non-specific physical signs used to attribute death to asphyxia. These include visceral congestion via dilation of the venous blood vessels and blood stasis, petechiae, cyanosis and fluidity of the blood. Petechiae are tiny hemorrhages.