Forensic pathological analysis on 38 cases of fatal cardiac tamponade / 中国法医学杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective To explore the forensic pathological characteristics and the main identification points of fatal cardiac tamponade. Methods 38 cases of fatal cardiac tamponade from department of pathology, the first affiliated hospital of chengdu university of TCM from 2005 to 2015 were reviewed and analyzed retrospectively. Results Fatal cardiac tamponade mostly occurred to men (71.1%) with an average age of 44; Bloody effusion accounted for 85% of the direct causes of death (34 cases). The most underlying causes of death were diseases (73.7%), majorly aortic dissection, coronary heart disease and malignant tumors. Seventy five percent of death occurred within 12 hours of illness. Medical behaviors were involved in 30 cases (78.9%), of which 26 cases (86.7%)were without medical malpractice. The relationship between injury and disease was involved in 15 fatal cases (39.5%). Conclusion The basic requirement for accurately completing forensic medical appraisal of fatal cardiac tamponade cases was to master the forensic pathological characteristics and the path of forensic identification.