Rickshaw scarf strangulation

Abstract

This is a rare case report of delayed onset of symptoms and survival from accidental strangulation by a scarf causing “Isadora Duncan syndrome”. In 1929, the dancer Isadora Duncan died from strangulation and carotid artery insult when her billowing scarf caught in the wheels of a motor vehicle in which she was travelling. Cycle-propelled rickshaws are popular for short taxi journeys in many south Asian countries, particularly India. The case is presented of a woman who sustained accidental strangulation with a scarf in the same way as Isadora Duncan. The patient was successfully resuscitated and recovered with no neurological deficit. It is believed that this is the first recorded case of such delayed onset of symptoms and third recorded survival from this condition.