Suicidal asphyxia refers to suicide by inhaling inert gases. Suicidal asphyxia with helium is used medically in the process of alleviating airway. Notably, the condition is used to prevent any sense of panic or suffocation (hypercapnic alarm response). The patient is deprived of oxygen, and the air is displaced wit carbon dioxide (Grassberger & Krauskopf, 2007, p. 325). The kind of death tends to be untraceable and give the autopsy expert hard time to reveal the cause of death. It is a form of death infliction that is used by thugs in ensuring investigations is misled.
In contrast, accidental asphyxia concerns the deprivation of oxygen that happens accidentally. An individual is exposed to a zone that is deficient in oxygen. For example, when a person is buried in sand one is suffocates due to lack of oxygen. There is insufficient supply of oxygen that will lead to suffocation. Sometimes an adult who co-sleeps with a child my roll on the child and this may be mistaken for death syndrome for infant. Polythene straps around the neck further causes suffocation. It is associated with conducting anal self-simulation and transvestic fetishism. This is different from suicidal asphyxia since it happens without the victim’s knowledge.
The forms of asphyxia analyzed are similar since it causes death. Further, oxygen is the key element that is cut in supply that leads to suffocation and blockage of oxygen supply leading to death.
On the other Hand, strangulation as compared with the above forms of asphyxia is based on the deprivation of oxygen. It is done either by hanging, manual strangulation by use of fingers with extreme pressure and ligature strangulation by use of a garrote (Strangulation, n.d.). However, strangulation can be a form of combat sports.
References
Grassberger, M., & Krauskopf, A. (2007). Suicidal asphyxiation with helium: Report of three cases. Wiener klinische Wochenschrift, 119(9-10), 323-325. doi:10.1007/s00508-007-0785-4
Strangulation. (n.d.). Encyclopedia of Diagnostic Imaging, 1766-1766. doi:10.1007/978-3-540-35280-8_2388
