Patterns of fatal scald burns in Central Delhi A retrospective study.

Thirty six unselected autopsy cases of fatal scald burn received from Central Delhi were studied during the period from July 1998 to June 2010 at Department of Forensic Medicine, Maulana Azad Medical College and associated Hospitals, Delhi. The data was analyzed with regard to age, sex, place of occurrence, pattern of injury, mode of infliction, survival period, cause and manner of death. The cases represented approximately 0.31% of all autopsy received during the same period. There were 24 males (66.7%) and 12 females (33.3%) with male to female ratio 2:1. The age range of the victims was 10 months to 70 yrs with mean age of 16.93 years and Standard deviation of 19.32. Domestic accidents were attributed to 72.2% of all deaths. All except one case were accidental in nature. Hot water splashing from the cooking utensils/ falling over to boiled water in kitchen (68.75%) was the most common mode of injury. Thorax (86.1%) was the most common body region involved. The average total body surface area (TBSA) burn was 50.83%.The mean survival period of all victims was 3.83 days. All the victims were hospitalized after the incident and in majority (75%) of them died due to septicemia.

Calcified left atrial myxoma with osseous metaplasia.

An intracardiac myxoma is the most common tumour of the heart with an estimated incidence of 0.5 per million population per year. Extensive calcification is rare in these tumours.1 We describe a rare case of a large left atrial myxoma, visible on the chest radiograph, with extensive calcification and osseous metaplasia.

A suicidal hanging with unusual findings at crime scene.

A 42 year old male, was found hanging by a plastic rope in his unbolted bed room. The rope was found attached to two suspension points (one end attached to the window panel and the other side to the ceiling knob) and the middle part of it used for the binding of neck. There was no knot present in the ligature as the right hand was found holding the ligature loop for the purpose of constriction of neck .A towel was found covering the head and underneath the ligature material on the neck used for padding. Blood stain was present on the floor below the suspended body which oozed out from the haemorrhoids. He was holding the cloth, wore in lower half of the body up to the mid thigh label, which appreciated by the authors as cadaveric spasm that developed in his flexor muscles of left hand. Detailed autopsy, crime scene examination and police investigation supported the manner of death as suicidal.

Traumatic asphyxial deaths due to an uncontrolled crowd at railway station: Two case reports.

Deaths in stampede accidents are not new in India. Majority of causalities occurred as a result of traumatic asphyxia in such cases. Traumatic asphyxia is a rare syndrome first described over 150 years ago by Olivier. It is caused by sudden compressive chest trauma and is associated with craniocervical cyanosis, facial edema and petechiae, sub-conjunctival hemorrhage, and neurological symptoms. Although minor incidents of jostling are common at railway stations, but deaths occurring consequent to stampede by an uncontrollable crowd is not very common. A stampede occurred at New Delhi railway station which results in death of two persons and injuring many. The autopsy findings along with circumstantial evidence, results in arriving of conclusion that these deaths occurs as a consequence of traumatic asphyxia. Various clinical features of this condition are described in the literature, a brief review of which is given in this article. In the conclusion few preventive measures are also suggested so that in future such tragedies can be averted.