Abstract P639: Cerebrovascular and Pathological Findings in Police Chokehold Fatalities

• DOI: 10.1161/str.52.suppl_1.p639
• Publication Date: 2021-03-11T10:32:49Z
• Authors: Brian C Richardson; Johanna Rengifo; Michael Stanton; Neftali Nevarez; Cristina Román; Alicia Ranucci; Aikisha Harley; Sara Mason; Tedd Judd
• Keywords: 03 medical and health sciences; 0302 clinical medicine; 3. Good health

Introduction: A number of recent well publicized deaths from police chokeholds have focused attention on the use and safety by law enforcement officers (LEO). LEO are depicted as a safe non-lethal restraint technique. Use is purported to be in middle range force options when compared other tools available. often likened judo which long history not directly contributed death judoka since sport Judo was founded Japan 1882. Some posited that employed especially likely young adults, they less underlying cardiovascular diseases. Chokeholds applied can unfortunately associated with severe medical neurological sequelae, including death. Methods: We reviewed autopsy data 29 chokeholds. Results: Subjects ranged age 19 58. Reported chokehold duration 4 seconds 3 minutes length. In ten cases, were multiple times single subject. one case five At autopsy, two subjects found carotid artery intimal tears. Two had epidural hemorrhages. One subject sustained subdural hemorrhage. subarachnoid Five pathology typical global cerebral anoxia. cervical spine fractures crush injury spinal cord evidence hemorrhage involving anterior longitudinal ligament. Atherosclerotic heart disease subjects. occlusive coronary disease. Four these between ages 28 35. Myocardial fibrosis Cardiomegaly at six Conclusions: widely considered constitute deadly force, however our review caused revealed cerebrovascular, central nervous system sequela both older