Guidelines for clinical management of non-fatal strangulation in acute and emergency care services
Announcement
IFAS Imaging Guidelines as part of the Clinical Management of Paediatric (Under 16) Strangulation
In July 2025 IFAS convened an intercollegiate working group to develop guidelines for the clinical management of Paediatric (under 16) strangulation.
The draft guidance that was developed is currently being circulated to the various organisations/ Royal Colleges for comment and hopefully endorsement.
We are aware that in the absence of any existing paediatric guidelines, many clinicians have been using guidelines previously published by IFAS in Feb 2024 which are aimed at adolescents and adults. This, together with the growing evidence base regarding paediatric imaging post NFS, there is concern that children and young people are being imaged unnecessarily.
With this in mind and taking into account that the process of receiving feedback etc. on the draft guidelines may take several months, IFAS, in agreement with the Working Group members has decided to publish the imaging element of the draft guidelines, alongside the evidence base relied on. We appreciate that these:
- are only some elements of the guidelines
- only cover the imaging aspect and not the overall assessment of the patient
- are draft and not yet endorsed by the various organisations / Royal Colleges
However, we hope that they are useful to clinicians when managing these patients whilst awaiting the full guidance which we aim to publish soon.
Announcement re paediatric (under 16) imaging 01.07.2026
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Non-fatal strangulation poses significant health risks, including strokes, nerve damage, and psychological harm.
IFAS has collaborated with major Royal Colleges and associated professional groups to develop comprehensive guidelines for the clinical management of non-fatal strangulation, aiming to provide victims with optimal care promptly and mitigate potential harm.
The guidelines were published in February 2024 and are due to be reviewed in July 2026. If you have any questions or feedback on the use of the guidelines, please do get in touch by email contact@ifas.org.uk.
