ABSTRACT
With the lengthening of the human life span, cancer has become an increasingly important medical problem for the aged. It is not uncommon to find multiple primary neoplasms in elderly individuals. We recently investigated the death of an elderly man who had died suddenly and had three incidental malignant neoplasms, including a pleural mesothelioma, first diagnosed at autopsy. The importance of performing a complete medicolegal autopsy for epidemiological and statistical purposes is emphasized.
Subject(s)
Adenocarcinoma/pathology , Death, Sudden/etiology , Mesothelioma/pathology , Neoplasms, Multiple Primary/pathology , Pleural Neoplasms/pathology , Adenocarcinoma/complications , Aged , Aged, 80 and over , Asbestos/adverse effects , Colonic Neoplasms/complications , Colonic Neoplasms/pathology , Coronary Disease/complications , Coronary Disease/mortality , Diagnosis, Differential , Humans , Male , Mesothelioma/complications , Mesothelioma/etiology , Neoplasms, Multiple Primary/complications , Pleural Neoplasms/complications , Pleural Neoplasms/etiology , Prostatic Neoplasms/complications , Prostatic Neoplasms/pathologyABSTRACT
The usual death of a long-time heroin user is described. The significance of this case is that death occurred suddenly and unexpectedly during incarceration. In the United States, such deaths are frequently followed by lawsuits against the prison authorities. Drug abuse can cause death in many varied ways.
Subject(s)
Abscess/etiology , Esophageal Perforation/etiology , Gastrointestinal Hemorrhage/etiology , Jugular Veins , Substance Abuse, Intravenous/complications , Adult , Humans , MaleABSTRACT
Abuse and misuse of soda vending machines has resulted in a considerable number of injuries and deaths. The machines fall forward when rocked or tilted and crush those in front. These accidents are all preventable by a simple and cheap device. There should be a law compelling safety requirements for these machines. This is a report of a recent case in which a young man was crushed to death.
Subject(s)
Accidents , Asphyxia/etiology , Beverages , Food Dispensers, Automatic , Food Services , Accident Prevention , Adolescent , Humans , MaleABSTRACT
The files of 874 fatal traumatic accident victims, aged 12-25 years, examined at the Wayne County Medical Examiner's Office during the period 1978-1988 were reviewed. Postmortem blood alcohol results of individuals who died after less than 15 min of hospitalization were utilized to approximate alcohol levels at the time of the fatal injury. Relationships between types of accidents, sex, age, race, and time of accident were examined. White victims were far more likely to have been drinking than blacks, and the data indicated that underaged drinkers were involved in fatal accidents at lower levels of blood alcohol than their counterparts of legal drinking age. Consistent racial differences in average alcohol levels were not observed, however. Unlike female and black victims, who much less frequently tested positive for alcohol when underage, white male victims 16-21 years of age were just as likely to have been drinking as those aged 21-25. The results of the study show that postmortem blood alcohol level can be used to identify differences in alcohol consumption among groups of accident victims in a major metropolitan area.
Subject(s)
Accidents , Alcohol Drinking , Ethanol/blood , Accidents, Traffic , Adolescent , Adult , Black or African American , Age Factors , Female , Humans , Male , Michigan , Retrospective Studies , Sex Factors , White PeopleABSTRACT
We show that postmortem cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) pleocytosis is a common event. Postmortem cerebrospinal or ventricular fluid was obtained from children and adults. The cells were counted and morphologically characterized using several histochemical markers. Infants exhibit a brisk postmortem CSF pleocytosis. Sudden infant death cases have relatively high CSF counts. Typeable cells are mononuclear and consist of approximately 60%-70% lymphocytes and 20%-40% macrophages. When postmortem duration is greater than 12 h, the cells become vacuolated and cannot be identified. The etiology of these findings requires further study.
Subject(s)
Cerebrospinal Fluid/cytology , Postmortem Changes , Sudden Infant Death/cerebrospinal fluid , Adolescent , Adult , Aged , Cell Count , Child , Child, Preschool , Female , Humans , Infant , Infant, Newborn , Lymphocytes , Macrophages , Male , Middle AgedABSTRACT
The death of a young healthy man, 11 days after he sustained minor trauma, illustrates the potential disaster of undiagnosed necrotizing fasciitis. Difficulty in early diagnosis often arises because the skin is initially spared and only later becomes secondarily involved. In this case, because of the lack of external manifestations, the diagnosis of necrotizing fasciitis was not considered until the postmortem examination. Necrotizing fasciitis should be considered a potentially serious problem that can follow minor trauma and eventually lead to death. The need for a high index of suspicion to make this diagnosis, along with the medicolegal implication of a diagnosis of necrotizing fasciitis, are both addressed in this report. Also of note is the fact that this patient was treated with nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs for pain and inflammation, which has recently been reported to be associated with an increased incidence of fulminant evolution of necrotizing fasciitis.
Subject(s)
Fasciitis/diagnosis , Hip Injuries , Wounds, Nonpenetrating/complications , Adult , Fasciitis/complications , Fasciitis/etiology , Humans , Male , Myocarditis/etiology , NecrosisABSTRACT
Discussed are the unusual position of a body at a death scene and plausible mechanisms responsible for this positioning.
Subject(s)
Accidents, Traffic , Forensic Medicine , Homicide , Female , Humans , PostureABSTRACT
Petechiae can be important corroborative evidence of asphyxia, but are also seen in persons who have died of other means. It is not uncommon to encounter them in cases in which cardiopulmonary resuscitation has reestablished blood flow and pressure in small vessels already damaged by hypoxia resulting in the formation of petechiae. This report documents some representative cases.
Subject(s)
Purpura/etiology , Resuscitation/adverse effects , Adolescent , Adult , Autopsy , Cheek/pathology , Conjunctiva/pathology , Eyelids/pathology , Female , Humans , Male , Middle AgedABSTRACT
Scene investigation is an important part of the medicolegal autopsy. In many cases the cause of death cannot be determined without knowledge of the circumstances. A case is presented in which the diagnosis of compression asphyxia and smothering was made only after analysis of the scene findings.
Subject(s)
Asphyxia/etiology , Thoracic Injuries/complications , Asphyxia/pathology , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , RespirationABSTRACT
Sudden death caused by foreign-body perforation of the esophagus is distinctly uncommon. We report the death of an elderly patient in a nursing home who exsanguinated after she swallowed a chicken bone that perforated her esophagus and right common carotid artery.
Subject(s)
Death, Sudden/etiology , Esophageal Perforation/complications , Foreign Bodies/complications , Aged , Aged, 80 and over , Esophageal Perforation/pathology , Esophagus/pathology , Female , Foreign Bodies/pathology , HumansABSTRACT
Penetrating injuries of the chest are uncommon in the work-place. We report an unusual case of a machinist who was killed when a drill press broke and a flying metallic fragment penetrated his thorax.
Subject(s)
Accidents, Occupational , Aorta/injuries , Wounds, Penetrating/etiology , Humans , Male , Middle AgedABSTRACT
Graves' disease is a form of hyperthyroidism. A rare complication of Graves' disease is thyrotoxic crisis. Although the crisis is frequently fatal, it is a distinctly unusual cause of sudden death. We investigated the case of a young woman with Graves' disease who died suddenly. Radioimmunoassay tests of thyroid function were used to establish the diagnosis.
Subject(s)
Death, Sudden/etiology , Graves Disease/complications , Thyroid Crisis/complications , Adult , Female , Humans , Myocardium/pathology , Thyroid Crisis/blood , Thyroid Gland/pathology , Thyroxine/blood , Triiodothyronine/bloodABSTRACT
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.
Subject(s)
1-Propanol/poisoning , Burns/complications , Child Abuse , Administration, Topical , Child, Preschool , Female , Humans , LegABSTRACT
Two adults experienced syncopal episodes before dying suddenly. The autopsies revealed mitral valve myxomas. Mitral valve myxomas producing syncope and sudden death are discussed.
Subject(s)
Death, Sudden/etiology , Heart Neoplasms/complications , Mitral Valve , Myxoma/complications , Syncope/etiology , Adult , Female , Heart Neoplasms/pathology , Humans , Mitral Valve/pathology , Myxoma/pathologyABSTRACT
An intrapleural free floating golf ball size body was an incidental finding at autopsy. The pathogenesis and clinical significance of this lesion are discussed.
Subject(s)
Foreign Bodies , Pleura , Fibrin , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Pleural Diseases/complicationsABSTRACT
A case of suicidal hanging inside an automobile is presented. To our knowledge, hanging has not been previously reported as a cause of death in a motor vehicle driver. The causes of death in automobile-related suicides are discussed.
Subject(s)
Automobiles , Suicide , Aged , Carbon Monoxide Poisoning , Drowning , Humans , Male , Wounds and InjuriesABSTRACT
A case of suicidal electrocution in a filled bathtub is presented with a discussion of the mechanism of electrocution in water. A modern safety device, the Ground Fault Interruptor Circuit, is also described.