Fatal penetrating abdominal injury by a metallic projectile

Penetrating abdominal injury is often a life-threatening condition, which is mainly associated with inflicted injuries. Fatal self-inflicted sharp force abdominal injuries too have been reported in the literature. Inadvertent penetrating abdominal injuries are a rarity and are caused by sharp objects of low-velocity and often nonmissile-type. A 27-year-old male factory worker was brought dead to the emergency department with an alleged history of sustaining abdominal injury by a sharp metal projectile while working on a metal cutting grinder. Autopsy observations were consistent with the history of inadvertent penetrating injury. Our case reports a fatal missile-type inadvertent sharp force trauma over the abdomen with intestinal perforation, a relatively uncommon scenario in occupational/workplace settings. The present case report describes the significance of the death scene visit and corroborating the medical findings with investigating agencies. This case further emphasizes on the need for adopting proper safety measures at the workplace.     

Lethal small bowel obstruction due to pica

Up to 25% of institutionalized patients with cognitive deficiencies display pica-like behavior, with an estimated annual incidence of small bowel obstruction of 2%. We present a case based on the forensic autopsy of a 41-year-old woman who died as a result of a missed diagnosis of small bowel obstruction after ingesting a foreign body. The case underlines the importance of precaution when treating patients with cognitive deficiency and/or language deficits and gastrointestinal symptoms. In such cases, it is important to employ a liberal threshold for radiological investigations and, if possible, obtain a medical history from a person close to the patient.     

Postmortem Computed Tomography in Firearm Homicides: A Retrospective Case Series,

Postmortem computed tomography (PMCT) is integrated into the evaluation of decedents in several American medical examiner offices and medicolegal death investigative centers in many other countries. We retrospectively investigated the value of PMCT in a series of firearm homicide cases from a statewide centralized medical examiner’s office that occurred during 2016. Autopsies were performed or supervised by board-certified forensic pathologists who reviewed the PMCT scans prior to autopsy. PMCT scans were re-evaluated by a forensic radiologist blinded to the autopsy findings and scored by body region (head–neck, thoracoabdominal, and extremities). Injury discrepancies were scored using a modified Goldman classification and analyzed with McNemar’s test. We included 60 males and 20 females (median age 31 years, range 3–73). Based on PMCT, 56 (79.1%) cases had injuries relevant to the cause of death in a single body region (24 head–neck region, 32 thoracoabdominal region). Out of these 56 cases, 9 had a missed major diagnosis by PMCT outside that region, including 6 extremity injuries visible during standard external examination. Yet all had evident lethal firearm injury. We showed that PMCT identifies major firearm injuries in homicide victims and excludes injuries related to the cause of death in other regions when a single body region is injured. Although PMCT has a known limited sensitivity for soft tissue and vascular pathology, it can be combined with external examination to potentially reduce or focus dissections in some of these cases depending on the circumstances and medicolegal needs.     

Spleen and portal lymphnode pathology in fatal drug addiction

Spleen and portal lymphnode sections from 86 drug addicts submitted for medico-legal autopsy at the Institute of Forensic Medicine in Copenhagen in the year 1979 were studied together with tissue sections from 24 "normal" persons. In 70% of the drug addicts the spleen weight was more than 200 g, and in 71% portal lymphnode hyperplasia was found. Birefringent foreign material was found in spleen tissue of drug addicts in 72% and in portal lymphnode tissue in 44%. Signs of antigen stimulation in both spleen and portal lymphnode tissue evaluated by the number of germinal centre and plasma cells were found in more than 80% of the drug addicts compared with about 20% of the "normal" persons. The results were related to anamnestic information of duration of drug abuse, to the spleen weight, to the occurrence of birefringent material and to the liver changes. Examination of lysozyme and immunoglobulin containing cells using the indirect preoxidase technique was performed in a total of 72 cases of spleen tissue, 59 cases of portal lymphnode tissue from drug addicts, 24 cases of spleen tissue and 18 of portal lymphnode tissue from "normal" persons. Lysozyme, IgM and IgG containing cells were found significantly more often among drug addicts than "normal" persons. The results indicate that the splenomegalia and the portal lymphnode hyperplasia often found in drug addicts are caused by continuous antigen stimulation due to repeated injections of various antigens.     

Unusual and Fatal Case of an Undiagnosed Intravascular Large B-cell Lymphoma: The Oncologist’s Great Imitator†

Intravascular lymphoma (IVL) is a rare subtype of extranodal lymphomas that is characterized by the selective growth of neoplastic cells within the lumen of small vessels. Authors document the case of an unexpected death caused by an undiagnosed intravascular large B-cell lymphoma with multi-organ involvement, which had initially manifested as an infection and then as an unclarified central nervous system pathology. Histological examination showed a diffuse intravascular large B-cell brain lymphoma with prominent cerebral involvement. The relevance of the case report reveals the importance of an autopsy of an extremely rare and threatening pathology that in most cases is diagnosed only postmortem. As a result, the role of the forensic pathologist becomes particularly important. When specifically performing an in-depth autopsy evaluation with a specific histologic analysis, it is possible to identify the intravascular lymphoma and declare a more accurate cause of death.     

对交通肇事案中的死者进行“全面尸检”的必要性及措施

司法机关对出现死亡后果的交通肇事案件的处理往往不能达到法律与社会效果的有效统一,主要原因在于不能对作为案件认定依据的尸体作及时、科学、适当的检验.而司法实践中因为种种原因而缺乏对尸体的正确处置与检验程序规范化建设的缺失,导致检察机关对该类案件的办理存在诸多诉讼风险.鉴于此,建立由检察官主导的全面尸检程序可以成为司法机关正确办理交通肇事案件的基本前提.     

物证检验鉴定在交通肇事案件中的作用

物证检验鉴定中的痕迹检验鉴定和尸体检验鉴定,不仅在一般刑事案件中应用广泛,而且能够为交通管理部门办理交通肇事案件,尤其是交通肇事逃逸或不确定驾驶员的案件提供有力的技术支持,在道路交通肇事案件的处理中为责任的划分和驾驶员的认定起着重要的作用。     

涉及死亡非医疗过失纠纷的类型,死因和发生原因——27年医疗纠纷法医尸检回?

对1992～1998年间206例非医疗过失尸检资料进行回顾性研究,表明涉及死亡的非医疗纠纷中各类疾病死亡占53.88%,难以避免的并发症占39.81%,医疗意外占6.31%.发生原因中对死因怀疑占44.66%,怀疑输液(血)错误占15.05%,怀疑治疗出问题占9.71%,怀疑用药错误或诊治延误各占8.74%,其它13.11%与医护人员态度不好、医院管理有关.     

两地区医疗纠纷法医学尸检鉴定质量的比较研究

目的研究影响涉及医疗纠纷法医学尸检鉴定质量差异的原因。方法两个具有代表性的法医学尸检鉴定机构所涉及医疗纠纷的相关案例,进行字2检验、t检验等统计学研究。结果通过字2检验发现,在设定的10个指标中,有7个指标存在显著性差异,提示两鉴定单位在“涉及医疗纠纷的法医学尸检鉴定”中检验手段和标准、规范性等均存在极大的差异。结论通过研究,提示法医学鉴定人素质、尸检的标准化和规范化、尸检检材的提取标准化、死因或疾病的诊断标准、会诊制度及法医学鉴定书的书写规范化等是法医学尸检鉴定质量控制和管理的重要环节。     

冠状病毒感染性疾病尸体检验相关病原学检测回顾与展望

冠状病毒曾经给世界带来两次严重的人类间大流行,包括严重急性呼吸综合征(severe acute respiratory syndrome,SARS)和中东呼吸综合征(Middle East respiratory syndrome,MERS),2019年岁末新型冠状病毒肺炎(coronavirus disease 2019,COVID-19)再次引发了全球性的重大公共卫生事件。由于新型冠状病毒传染性较强,相关死亡病例的解剖工作难以广泛开展。本文对既往冠状病毒感染性疾病尸体检验相关的病原学检测情况进行回顾,介绍了临床上正在开展的新型冠状病毒的检测手段,旨在为开展COVID-19尸体检验相关的病原学检测和研究提供借鉴和参考。