An unusual fatal injury due to tyre burst: a case report

A 20 year-old male driver of a heavy duty crane, employed in an industry located in an industrial area on the outskirts of Delhi was fatally injured while repositioning an ill-fitted locking rim of a crane tyre (Fig. 1). The inner tube of the crane tyre had accidentally burst, dislodging the loose iron-locking rim, which hit the individual with a great force resulting in multiple injuries. He died on his way to the hospital.     

腋臭手术中2%利多卡因局麻过量致死1例

某男 ,1 6岁 ,因患腋臭于某日在一乡镇卫生院行双侧腋臭手术。上午 8时 30分 ,医生先于右侧腋下注射2 %利多卡因 7支 (每支 5ｍｌ,1 0 0ｍｇ制剂 )后 ,切除毛囊区皮肤 ,止血缝合。 8时 5 5分患者诉头晕 ,但未引起手术者注意。继续于左侧腋下注射 2 %利多卡因 3支 ,9时 0 5分 ,在准备切除毛囊区皮肤时 ,患者突然抽搐 ,继而剧烈呕吐 ,吐出米汤等食糜样液体 ,量约 4 0 0ｍｌ,出现呼吸困难。术者立即停止手术 ,将患者侧卧 ,清除口腔呕吐物 ,症状无好转。此时患者呼吸极度困难 ,心音微弱。又给予人工呼吸、胸外心脏按摩、吸氧、插管、肌注药物等…     

腋臭手术中2%利多卡因局麻过量致死1例

某男,16岁,因患腋臭于某日在一乡镇卫生院行双侧腋臭手术.上午8 时30分,医生先于右侧腋下注射2%利多卡因7支(每支5ml,100mg制剂)后,切除毛囊区皮肤 ,止血缝合.8时55分患者诉头晕,但未引起手术者注意.继续于左侧腋下注射2%利多卡因3 支,9时05分,在准备切除毛囊区皮肤时,患者突然抽搐,继而剧烈呕吐,吐出米汤等食糜样液体,量约400ml,出现呼吸困难.术者立即停止手术,将患者侧卧,清除口腔呕吐物, 症状无好转.此时患者呼吸极度困难,心音微弱.又给予人工呼吸、胸外心脏按摩、吸氧、插管、肌注药物等抢救无效,于9时30分死亡.患者家属对死因提出疑问,引起医疗纠纷.     

A death due to ethchlorvynol abuse. A case report

A fatal case of ethchlorvynol abuse is reported with blood and tissue determinations.     

Penile strangulation: report of a fatal case

Penile strangulation or entrapment is an unusual entity that requires urgent treatment due to its potential complications. Several cases have been reported in the medical literature, some of them describing serious injuries such as necrosis, gangrene, and amputation of the penis. However, as far as we know, no fatal cases have been described before. We present the death of an adult male secondary to the complications due to penile strangulation with a plastic bottle neck. The time of incarceration was unknown, but according to a witness it could be about 10 to 14 days. The findings of autopsy were penile strangulation, necrosis of the penis, acute pyelonephritis, and bronchopneumonia. The subject's refusal to ask for medical help was the cause of this atypical evolution.     

Nonfracture-associated fatal fat embolism in a case of child abuse

Fatal fat embolism is usually thought of as a sequel to long-bone fracture, although cases secondary to soft tissue injury and atraumatic conditions have been infrequently reported. In this case of a two-year-old child-abuse victim who sustained multiple blunt traumatic injuries without skeletal fractures, pulmonary and systemic (brain and kidney) fat emboli were identified. At autopsy, all thoracic and abdominal viscera were intact; cranial contents exhibited only diffuse symmetrical petechial hemorrhages of the white matter. Because of the severe and widespread nature of soft tissue hemorrhage, and the absence of a grossly discernible cause of death, fat embolism was suspected. Using a combination of frozen section with oil red O staining and formalin-fixed osmium stained tissues, the immediate cause of death was determined to be diffuse fat embolism. Review of the literature reveals a pathophysiologic basis for fat embolism in the absence of fracture, both as a consequence of an acute increase in local pressure at the site of trauma and an alteration of the emulsification of blood lipids during shock. In light of these findings, we present this case to remind the forensic science community to consider fat embolism as the cause of death in cases of blunt-force injury without fracture.     

Meckel's diverticulum and intestinal obstruction--report of a fatal case

Meckel's diverticulum is an uncommon cause of intestinal obstruction in adult life. Rarely Meckel's diverticulum is complicated by a mesodiverticular band, which is believed to be a remnant of a vitelline artery. When this abnormality occurs it is associated with high mortality. We present a case of a 48-year-old man with increasing abdominal pain and vomiting for 3 days. Meckel's diverticulum was not taken into diagnostic consideration, and the man died. Autopsy revealed a Meckel's diverticulum with a mesodiverticular band and intestinal obstruction. Histological examination of cross sections of the mesodiverticular band showed the presence of an artery. Because of the high mortality of this rare anatomic anomaly in adults, we find the case of interest.     

Toxicological findings in a fatal overdose of verapamil

Presented is a case where the death was attributed to the deliberate ingestion of an overdose of verapamil (V). Blood, urine, and gastric concentrations of the drug were determined by gas chromatography with nitrogen phosphorus detection (GC-NPD). Identification of norverapamil (NV) was made. A presumptive identification of o-demethylnorverapamil (DNV) was also made.     

Postmortem urine immunoassay showing false-positive phencyclidine reactivity in a case of fatal tramadol overdose

This is a report of postmortem false-positive reactivity using an enzyme-multiplied urine phencyclidine (PCP) immunoassay (EMIT II+) due to a single-agent fatal tramadol overdose. An autopsy of a 42-year-old male who died alone at home revealed no identifiable lethal anatomic abnormalities, thus leading to toxicologic analysis. Femoral blood was obtained for drug testing by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and showed a tramadol level of 14.0 mg/L, 2 orders of magnitude greater than the therapeutic range (0.1 to 0.3 mg/L). Urine was also obtained and EMIT II+ immunoassay revealed positivity for PCP at 88 mAU/min. However, confirmatory testing by HPLC failed to identify PCP in either the urine or serum. To verify the suspicion that this was a false-positive PCP result, stock solutions of tramadol and its major metabolite (O-desmethyltramadol) at concentrations of 100 mg/L in 10% methanol/H2O were compared with a blank solution (10% methanol/H2O) for EMIT II+ PCP reactivity and demonstrated reactivities of 44 mAU/min and 27 mAU/min, respectively. While these individual results were below the cutoff reactivity for a positive EMIT II+ PCP result (ca. 85 mAU/min), they were much more reactive than the blank calibrator (set at 0 mAU/min). Therefore, we conclude that the immunoreactivity of tramadol and its metabolites in aggregate is responsible for the PCP immunoassay interference and false-positive result.     

Transmesenteric hernia due to double-loop formation in the small intestine: a fatal case involving a toddler

We report a unique case of transmesenteric hernia resulting in death, which went undiagnosed during a recent hospital visit. The victim was a 2.5-year-old girl who - with the exception of chronic constipation - had no medical history. One night she complained of abdominal pains and was taken to a pediatric hospital where doctors performed an abdominal X-ray and echography. No significant findings suggesting bowel obstruction (e.g. air-fluid levels or dilation of the bowel) were obtained on examinations and bloody feces were not observed in this particular episode. As her abdominal pain gradually attenuated, the doctor allowed her to return home. A few hours later, she lost consciousness and expired despite resuscitation efforts attempted at an emergency hospital. A subsequent autopsy revealed that the small bowel had herniated through a defect in the mesentery resulting in two consecutive and inversely forming loops, in which each loop protruded on either side of the mesentery. This rare morphological anatomy seems to have progressed in a two-step process. The girl's mild abdominal pain was likely induced by herniation and formation of the first intestinal loop, followed by severe shock occurring when the subsequent intestinal segment invaginated into the same defect forming the second loop on the opposite side of the mesentery. This case illustrates the difficulty of diagnosing transmesenteric hernia due to the presentation of unspecific symptoms; especially in infants and toddlers. Furthermore, this report demonstrates the value of a complete autopsy in cases of sudden and unexpected deaths involving children.     

Cocaine fatality: an unexplained blood concentration in a fatal overdose

A case is presented of a 26-year-old female who died as a result of cocaine intoxication. A blood cocaine concentration of 330 mg/l, about 1.5 times greater than the highest concentration previously reported, was found. Blood benzoylecgonine and ecgonine methyl ester concentrations were 50 and 18 mg/l, respectively. The unusually high blood concentrations of cocaine and the metabolites are suggestive of a massive administration, however, the history suggests a series of recreational uses. The manner of death was undetermined.     

蛛网膜粒压迹致颅骨穿孔鉴定1例

某男 ,43岁 ,工人。 1999年 10月 13日被人用拳头伤及头部。伤后 4小时入某医院诊治。入院体检见左前额部有一 5ｃｍ× 5ｃｍ头皮血肿 ,全颅多处压痛 ,双侧瞳孔等大等圆 ,光反应灵敏 ,耳、鼻、口腔无明显流血溢液。伤后 5天ＣＴ检查报告 :右额骨骨折、左额部皮下血肿。伤后 5天法医检查 ,伤者神志清 ,精神可 ,问答切题 ,体检合作 ,对受伤前后记忆清楚 ;左额部有一 5ｃｍ× 4ｃｍ淡黄色淤血 ,压痛。阅头颅Ｘ片示“右额骨距中线 3ｃｍ处 ,见一边缘较锐利、略不整齐的颗粒状透亮影 ,约 0 .5ｃｍ ;阅ＣＴ(1999/ 10 / 18)片见额骨右侧近中线处有…     

蛛网膜粒压迹致颅骨穿孔鉴定1例

某男,43岁,工人。1999年10月13日被人用拳头伤及头部。伤后4小时入某医院诊治。入院体检见左前额部有一5cm×5cm头皮血肿,全颅多处压痛,双侧瞳孔等大等圆,光反应灵敏,耳、鼻、口腔无明显流血溢液。伤后5天CT检查报告：右额骨骨折、左额部皮下血肿。 　　伤后5天法医检查,伤者神志清,精神可,问答切题,体检合作,对受伤前后记忆清楚;左额部有一5cm×4cm淡黄色淤血,压痛。阅头颅X片示“右额骨距中线3cm处,见一边缘较锐利、略不整齐的颗粒状透亮影,约0.5cm;阅CT（1999/10/18）片见额骨右侧近中线处有一低密度隧道状影,边缘清楚锐利且不规则,呈口略大漏斗状,穿通外板,脑实质内无异常,邻近软组织无肿胀(见图1、图2)。     

Apoptotic and necrotic brain lesions in a fatal case of carbon monoxide poisoning

A 41-year-old man was accidentally exposed to carbon monoxide (CO) gas and found in a state of cardiopulmonary arrest while he took bath. After admission, he was resuscitated and underwent artificial ventilation in a comatose state and died about 19h later. Computed tomography (CT) examination disclosed bilateral low density area in the basal ganglia and the thalamus, a well-known finding in the CO intoxication. Necropsy, histological examination, DNA ladder assay gave the first line of evidence for the presence of apoptosis as well as necrosis in the human case of CO intoxication. TdT-mediated dUTP-biotin nick-end labeling (TUNEL) positive apoptotic cells were more predominant in the CA2 area than in CA1 area. There is general co-relation between the ratio of TUNEL-positive cells and the DNA laddering on the agarose gel. Basal ganglia and thalamus, which showed bilateral low density area in CT, were revealed to be severe edema. The two types of cell death occurred in the cortex, basal ganglia, hippocampus, thalamus, and cerebellum. Hypoxia caused by CO-hemoglobin formation alone cannot explain the phenomena.     

Scald burns complicated by isopropyl alcohol intoxication. A case of fatal child abuse

Scald burns are the most common type of thermal injury in child abuse. Death associated with nonaccidental burns, however, is uncommon. We recently investigated the case of a 4-year-old child who died from extensive body burns due to scalding. A contributory cause of death was isopropyl alcohol intoxication resulting from application of this chemical to the burns.     

虐待儿童致死1例报告

虐待损伤具有病变的多样性、广泛性及新旧不一性等特点,与其它损伤有较大区别,现报告一例.     

Case report of a fatal intoxication by citalopram

Citalopram is an antidepressant drug within the group of the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI). It is widely prescribed both in Europe and in United States, and it has always been considered a "safe" drug as pure intoxication with lethal outcome is rare, and most cases of overdose, even with high doses of citalopram ingested, are reported to have an uneventful course.We report the case of a young woman found dead at home. She had been prescribed citalopram by her family doctor 3 weeks before her death for a depressive syndrome. Police found in her house 3 empty blister packages of 28 citalopram tablets (20 mg) and 2 bottles of citalopram oral solution (4%, 15 mL each). The autopsy findings were unremarkable. Nasal swabs, blood from femoral vein, urine, bile and tissue samples were collected for toxicologic investigation. Citalopram separation was performed by solid/liquid method, using Bond-Elute columns. The extracts were analyzed by GLC and GC/MS methods. The toxicologic analysis showed high levels of citalopram in all the examined fluids and tissue samples (blood concentration: 11.60 mg/L). No other drugs and alcohol were detected. Our data confirm that if no other drug is involved, fatal complications occur only after ingestion of very high doses. However, there is no predefined "toxic dose," and the conditions under which the overdose occurs can be very important. We report the exact concentrations of the citalopram in the organs, and wethink that this can be useful in the cases where the blood samples were not available (ie, carbonized or decomposed body).     

Late-form hemorrhagic disease of the newborn: a fatal case report with illustration of investigations that may assist in avoiding the mistaken diagnosis of child abuse

Hemorrhagic disease of the newborn (HDN) is usually a self-limiting hemorrhagic disorder of childhood that occurs as a result of vitamin K deficiency. It may be defined as early or late form depending on the time of onset related to birth. HDN is recognized as one of several bleeding disorders that can mimic the findings of nonaccidental head injury and may lead to a mistaken diagnosis of child abuse. We present a single fatal case of late-onset HDN with illustration of hematologic assays that can be performed to assist the pathologist in making the correct diagnosis of HDN.     

Prolonged activity after an ultimately fatal gunshot wound to the heart: case report

In this article, we describe an unusual case of suicide involving a gunshot wound to the left ventricle. The victim engaged in premortem activity that was both prolonged and methodical. This report stresses the importance of a complete investigation to distinguish such case from an homicide.