{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2025,11,3]],"date-time":"2025-11-03T13:26:40Z","timestamp":1762176400753,"version":"3.38.0"},"reference-count":0,"publisher":"SAGE Publications","issue":"1","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2008,1,1]],"date-time":"2008-01-01T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1199145600000},"content-version":"tdm","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/page\/policies\/text-and-data-mining-license"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Med Sci Law"],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2008,1]]},"abstract":"<jats:p> All medico-legal cases of unexpected death during hospitalisation or accommodation in rest or nursing homes, which were investigated at the Department of Forensic Medicine during a 30-year-period, have been reviewed. In the majority of cases, the fatal outcome was bedrail or restraint related, but falls out of bed or from a patient hoist lift can also trigger a death. <\/jats:p><jats:p> As expected, the manner of death was mainly accidental. In about 70% of cases, mechanical asphyxia (such as smothering and thoraco-abdominal compression) was substantiated as the mechanism of death. A substantial number of the patients had important medical antecedents, such as cognitive impairment due to cerebro-vascular accidents. In about half of the cases, human negligence was clearly related to the event whereas in only 15% of cases was there a technical mistake. <\/jats:p><jats:p> We believe that some sudden and unexpected fatalities, due to physical restraint or other devices (such as a patient hoist lift), are under-reported because of the medico-legal implications. However, reporting such events could induce better precautions and prevent recurrences. Therefore, this study may be important not only for forensic pathologists, but also for a larger group of social workers. <\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1258\/rsmmsl.48.1.37","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2010,2,18]],"date-time":"2010-02-18T20:23:33Z","timestamp":1266524613000},"page":"37-50","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":8,"title":["Hospital bed related fatalities: a review"],"prefix":"10.1177","volume":"48","author":[{"given":"Els A","family":"De Letter","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Associate Professor, Department of Forensic Medicine, Ghent University, Jozef Kluyskensstraat 29, B\u20139000 Gent, Belgium"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Bart N W","family":"Vandekerkhove","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Staff Member, Ghent University, Department of Forensic Medicine, Jozef Kluyskensstraat 29, B\u20139000 Gent, Belgium"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Willy E","family":"Lambert","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Head of the Laboratory of Toxicology, Ghent University, Harelbekestraat 72, B\u20139000 Gent, Belgium"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Dirk","family":"Van Varenbergh","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Staff Member, Ghent University, Department of Forensic Medicine, Jozef Kluyskensstraat 29, B\u20139000 Gent, Belgium"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Michel H A","family":"Piette","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Head of Department of Forensic Medicine, Ghent University, Department of Forensic Medicine, Jozef Kluyskensstraat 29, B\u20139000 Gent, Belgium"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"179","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2008,1,1]]},"container-title":["Medicine, Science and the Law"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/doi\/pdf\/10.1258\/rsmmsl.48.1.37","content-type":"application\/pdf","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"text-mining"},{"URL":"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/doi\/pdf\/10.1258\/rsmmsl.48.1.37","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2025,3,3]],"date-time":"2025-03-03T03:40:43Z","timestamp":1740973243000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/doi\/10.1258\/rsmmsl.48.1.37"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2008,1]]},"references-count":0,"journal-issue":{"issue":"1","published-print":{"date-parts":[[2008,1]]}},"alternative-id":["10.1258\/rsmmsl.48.1.37"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1258\/rsmmsl.48.1.37","relation":{},"ISSN":["0025-8024","2042-1818"],"issn-type":[{"type":"print","value":"0025-8024"},{"type":"electronic","value":"2042-1818"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2008,1]]}}}