Fatal traumatic asphyxia in a middle-aged man in association with entrapment associated hypoxyphilia

A case is reported of a 36-year-old man who died following occlusive entrapment within a device for the purpose of hypoxyphilic gratification. The device was constructed in his own home using instructions found on his home computer down-loaded from the Internet. The device comprised a tough plastic cocoon large enough to accommodate an adult human and incorporating a system of plastic piping connected to a household vacuum cleaner for the evacuation of air within the cocoon. The mechanism of death was thought to be traumatic asphyxia after examination of the deceased and re-construction of the apparatus with the body in situ. The implications of this unusual device for the purposes of hypoxyphilic gratification by occlusive entrapment and its inherent dangers are highlighted.