Citation

Ahlm K, Eriksson A. Indian J. Forensic Med. Toxicol. 2011; 5(2): 5-8.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2011, All-India Institute of Medical Sciences. Deptartment of Forensic Medicine)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Deaths by exsanguination among various underlying causes of death were analyzed in order to expand the knowledge on the relation of extravasated blood volume to other documented parameters. A consecutive series of 193 cases of ruptured thoracic aortic aneurysm (n=13), gunshot wounds (n=63), stab wounds (n=28), rib fractures (n=5), and blunt injury to thoracic aorta (n=84) were investigated. The amount of internal bleeding into pleural cavities only varied greatly (200 - 3,400 ml) with a mean value of 1,174 ml, slightly higher among males. Age, body weight, cause and manner of death, external bleeding, alcohol inebriation, multiplicity of injuries, and degree of coronary heart disease did not significantly affect the amount of internal (pleural) bleeding. Also, post-mortem delay to autopsy did not correlate to the amount of extravasated blood, indicating that postmortem bleeding is of no importance in these deaths.

Language: en

Keywords

adolescent; adult; human; age; gender; homicide; suicide; child; female; male; alcohol; aged; autopsy; traffic accident; forensic pathology; article; major clinical study; gunshot injury; stab wound; school child; body weight; Survival time; body size; coronary artery atherosclerosis; thoracic aorta; rib fracture; blood volume; exsanguination; pleura disease; aneurysm rupture; Exsanguination; pleura bleeding; Pleural blood volume; thoracic aorta aneurysm; thorax blunt trauma