Unusual blunt force wound patterns due to a hexagonal steel bar.

Pathologists routinely examine victims with blunt force traumatic injuries. Many of these victims exhibit injury patterns that can help identify the weapon used in the assault. Proper documentation that accurately portrays the injury pattern and allows for comparison with recovered weapons is therefore essential. Our office investigated a homicide with unusual blunt force injuries. This article presents the procedure that we followed to identify the weapon.

A death resulting from trichlorotrifluoroethane poisoning.

Fatalities due to accidental exposure to chlorinated hydrocarbon in an industrial setting have been infrequently reported. The deaths in these cases have occurred within poorly ventilated, enclosed compartments or areas. A case is presented of a 16-year-old male who died as a result of exposure to trichlorotrifluoroethane while working in an open pit. Chromatographic results and tissue concentrations are presented.

An unusual case of accidental hypothermia due to cold water immersion.

Accidental deaths due to hypothermia most commonly result from exposure to low environmental temperature. Generally, a cold climatic condition is present in a severe environmental setting. A case report is presented of a 58-year-old man who died from accidental hypothermia associated with immersion in cold water while on a farm during warm weather. The importance of an adequate death scene investigation is discussed.

Cardiac rhabdomyoma presenting as sudden infant death syndrome.

A case of cardiac rhabdomyoma presenting as sudden infant death in a four-and-one-half month-old infant is reported. The child was the product of an essentially uncomplicated pregnancy and enjoyed good health before his unexpected, sudden death. Autopsy examination revealed the presence of multiple cardiac lesions which histologically were diagnosed as rhabdomyomas. Death was attributed to fatal cardiac arrhythmia caused by the tumor. To the authors' knowledge this represents the first reported case in the forensic science literature of death as a result of cardiac rhabdomyoma presenting as sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).

An analysis of risk factors for death at the scene following traumatic aortic rupture.

The hospital or medical examiner records of 75 victims of traumatic aortic rupture (TAR) were reviewed retrospectively. Among the 75 victims, 51 (68%) died at the scene. Those dead at the scene had higher Injury Severity Scores, 59.3 +/- 13.8, than those who survived to be hospitalized, 42.6 +/- 13.3 (p less than 0.001). The mean age of victims dead at the scene was not different than the mean age of those who arrived alive at the hospital. The incidence of death at the scene was significantly higher for patients with head injuries (p less than 0.01), victims with a second intrathoracic injury (p less than 0.025), and patients with associated intra-abdominal injury (p less than 0.001) compared to those without these injuries. A second fatal injury occurred in 51 (41.2%) of victims who died at the scene.

A double homicide as a result of chloroform poisoning.

Homicidal poisoning using chloroform has been reported infrequently. Presented is a case of a double homicide involving a 29-year-old male and his 23-year-old fiance. Gas chromatographic methodology and tissue concentrations of chloroform are presented. Evidence strongly suggests forced inhalation using an impregnated cloth.

Postmortem wound dehiscence: a medicolegal masquerade.

Postmortem artifactual changes associated with decomposition have been well reported throughout the forensic literature. The recognition and correct interpretation of these artifactual changes are of paramount importance in determining if injuries were sustained before or after death. Presented is a case of surgical wound dehiscence associated with bloating in the postmortem decomposition state. Previously undescribed in the current forensic science literature, this entity can present difficulties in interpretation. The artifact is described and the methods used in its identification are discussed.

Ruptured mycotic aneurysm of a coronary artery. A fatal complication of Salmonella infection.

A 53-year-old man with a kidney transplant was hospitalized because of back pain, fever, and an enlarging heart size. Cultures of blood and stool yielded Salmonella enteritidis (group D, serotype enteritidis). Despite appropriate antibiotic therapy, the patient died of cardiac arrest on the seventh hospital day. Autopsy revealed a ruptured mycotic aneurysm of the right coronary artery with hemopericardium. In addition, a ruptured aneurysm of the abdominal aorta was present. To our knowledge, ruptured mycotic aneurysm involving a coronary artery owing to Salmonella infection has not been described previously.

Caffeine poisoning in a 19-year-old female.

A case report is given of a fatality resulting from caffeine intoxication associated with ingestion of an over-the-counter appetite suppressant. Caffeine is one of the drugs most readily available to the general public. Present in many beverages and over-the-counter compounds, caffeine has a relatively low toxicity. Fatalities from caffeine intoxication are rare, with seven cases previously reported in the English language literature.