Citation

Kunz SN, Brandtner H, Monticelli F. Rechtsmedizin 2012; 22(6): 495-505.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2012, Holtzbrinck Springer Nature Publishing Group)

DOI

10.1007/s00194-012-0855-4

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Medical assessment of electrical effects on the human body is no longer limited to electrical accidents in the household environment but also includes evaluation of the correct use of medical devices in emergency medicine and psychiatry as well as the effects of application of electrical devices during police operations. Depending on the power source and the current flow through the body fatal incidents are often the result of complex pathomechanisms which often cannot be resolved completely due to a variety of non-specific morphological findings. The systematic analysis of primary visual morphological findings along with a combination of intensive crime scene investigation, histological examinations and additional technical expert opinion is essential for the reconstruction of sequences of events and serves as an essential requirement for the differentiation between accident, homicide and suicide. © 2012 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.

Language: de

Keywords

crime; human; homicide; suicide; systematic review; accident; Electroconvulsive therapy; forensic pathology; article; electroconvulsive therapy; health personnel attitude; medical expert; electric current; Postmortem changes; histology; electrophysiology; electric injury; morphology; Conducted electrical weapons injuries; Electrophysiological processes; TASER® injuries