A study of pericardial fluid enzymes activities after death and their correlation with post-mortem interval.

ABSTRACT

The estimation of time since death at the time of autopsy has been and remains to be one of the challenges to the Forensic Pathologist. .A prospective study was undertaken in SMS Hospital, Jaipur on activity of Pericardial Fluid enzymes after death in deceased. A total of 50 study cases were randomly selected after screening. The pericardial fluid was examined biochemically for enzyme activity of Amylase, Creatine Kinase (CK), Gamma-glutamyl Transferase (GGT) and Lactate Dehydrogenase (LDH) enzymes by photoelectric colorimetry method. The enzyme activity levels so obtained were charted and statistically studied and graphical records obtained against known post-mortem interval. The data thus obtained was analysed with a view to ascertain whether such assays could be of any help to estimate time since death routinely. In this study we observed a positive correlation of all the four enzymes with the time elapsed after death of which rise in CK was found to be statistically significant.