Citation

Blumenthal R, Saayman G. Am. J. Forensic Med. Pathol. 2014; 35(3): 170-171.

Affiliation

From the Department of Forensic Medicine, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2014, Lippincott Williams and Wilkins)

DOI

10.1097/PAF.0000000000000100

PMID

24918953

Abstract

Bone marrow embolism in electrocution was first described in the literature by Rappaport et al (Am J Pathol. 1951;27(3):407-433) in 1951. Two case studies demonstrating this phenomenon are reported here, one involving high-voltage exposure with associated skeletal injuries and the other involving domestic current and without evidence of skeletal injury. Both cases demonstrated bone marrow embolism on histologic examination of the lungs. The purposes of this article are to reiterate the existence of this unusual phenomenon and to consider possible pathogenetic mechanisms.

Language: en