Pedal I, Mattern R, Reibold R, Schmidt V, Oehmichen M, Gerling I, Wilske J
Institut für Rechtsmedizin, Universität Heidelberg.
Z Gerontol Geriatr. 1996 May-Jun;29(3):180-4.
We report on 7 nursing home or hospital patients who died suddenly and unexpectedly during physical restraint. Four of the patients were found dead hanging beside their beds, with their waist restraints displaced to the thorax. In spite of a variety of preexisting diseases, asphyxia by thorax compression was the most probable cause of death. Three other patients, when falling out of their beds, were strangulated by the head opening of a nursing bedcover fixed to the bed. In all instances the fatal accidents resulted from improper handling of the restraint devices, namely from the omission of bed rails as well as of the obligatory waist belt lateral fixations. The bedcover type involved in three fatalities is destined for care purposes but not licensed as a restraint device. Physical restraint fatalities can be avoided to a large extent if the producers' instructions are strictly observed, and only especially trained and supervised personnel is admitted to this field of duties.
我们报告了7例在身体约束期间突然意外死亡的疗养院或医院患者。其中4例患者被发现死在床边，腰部约束带移位至胸部。尽管存在多种基础疾病，但胸部受压导致的窒息是最可能的死因。另外3例患者从床上跌落时，被固定在床上的护理床罩头部开口勒死。在所有这些案例中，致命事故均是由于约束装置使用不当造成的，即遗漏了床栏以及腰部约束带的必要侧向固定。导致3人死亡的床罩类型是用于护理目的，但未获许可作为约束装置。如果严格遵守生产商的说明，并且只允许经过专门培训和监督的人员从事这项工作，身体约束导致的死亡在很大程度上是可以避免的。
