Forensic Science SA and School of Medicine, The University of Adelaide, Australia.
Med Sci Law. 2021 Jul;61(3):193-197. doi: 10.1177/0025802420988224. Epub 2021 Jan 20.
As lethal events associated with wheelchair use are poorly reported in the literature, a search was undertaken of the Forensic Science South Australia (FSSA), Australia, autopsy database over a 20-year period for all cases where individuals who were wheelchair bound were found dead either in or beside their chairs. There were 16 cases, ranging in age from 30 to 92 years ( = 58.6 years) and with a male-to-female ratio of 9:7. There were six accidents that involved burns, asphyxia, a fall and impact with a vehicle; three suicides that involved drowning and asphyxia; a single homicide involving drowning; a single undetermined case; and five cases due to medical conditions such as cerebral palsy with choking, ischaemic heart disease and pulmonary thromboembolism. Individuals who use wheelchairs may die from a wide variety of both unnatural and natural causes. Wheelchair users may be predisposed to specific types of accidents because of significant underlying physical impairment or serious diseases that may limit their ability either to move away from danger or to perform self-rescues. Morbidity and mortality associated with underlying medical conditions may be contributed to by the structure, stability and motility of wheelchairs.
由于与轮椅使用相关的致命事件在文献中报道甚少，因此在澳大利亚南澳大利亚法医科学中心（FSSA）的尸检数据库中进行了为期 20 年的搜索，以查找所有在轮椅上死亡的人的案例，这些人要么在轮椅内，要么在轮椅旁死亡。共有 16 例，年龄在 30 至 92 岁之间（平均年龄为 58.6 岁），男女比例为 9:7。有 6 例涉及烧伤、窒息、跌倒和与车辆碰撞；3 例自杀涉及溺水和窒息；1 例单一的杀人案涉及溺水；1 例未确定原因的案件；还有 5 例是由于脑瘫导致窒息、缺血性心脏病和肺血栓栓塞等医疗状况。使用轮椅的人可能会因各种非自然和自然原因而死亡。由于严重的身体损伤或严重的疾病可能会限制他们离开危险或进行自救的能力，因此轮椅使用者可能容易发生特定类型的事故。与潜在医疗状况相关的发病率和死亡率可能与轮椅的结构、稳定性和机动性有关。
