[Suicide by cutting the radial artery of the wrist. Report of 2 cases].

Suicide attempts made by cutting the wrist artery (A. radialis et ulnaris) are usually unsuccessful if the vessel wall or blood clotting has not changed pathologically. Fatal exsanguination, however, can also result even if the arteries are not completely severed crosswise--which is usually not the case--but are instead slit open lengthwise or partially severed crosswise. For this reason, the invagination processes of the artery stumps controlled by the elastic structure of the vessel walls and consequently the spontaneous arterial hemostasis are obstructed. The importance in establishing the type and position of the cut artery is demonstrated by means of an exactly dissected model limb.