Hanging is one of the most common methods of suicide in India in which death of the individual occurs almost immediately. It is a widely practiced suicidal method in all cultures and has a very effective killing potential with a mortality of 80 percent. Death in hanging occurs immediately, however, a few cases have been reported in literature in which death has occurred after a certain period of time or the patient has survived after prolonged resuscitative measures. We report those cases of delayed death in hanging, for its rarity, for the discussion of the possible delayed causes of death in case of hanging and to emphasize the complications associated with delayed hanging. Present study is conducted on 76 cases of hanging deaths brought to mortuary of RRMC & hospital, Bangalore for postmortem examination from Jan 2013 to Dec 2013. The present study is conducted to analyze the cause of death in immediate & delayed cases of hanging.

Keywords: Hanging; Asphyxia; Delayed deaths; Encephalopathy; Pulmonary edema.