Citation

Yamamoto H, Takayasu T, Ishida Y, Nosaka M, Hata S, Kuninaka Y, Shimada E, Hashizume Y, Ishigami A, Ozaki M, Kawaguchi M, Kimura A, Furukawa F, Kondo T. Int. J. Legal Med. 2019; ePub(ePub): ePub.

Affiliation

Department of Forensic Medicine, Wakayama Medical University, 811-1 Kimiidera, Wakayama, 641-8509, Japan. kondot@wakayama-med.ac.jp.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2019, Holtzbrinck Springer Nature Publishing Group)

DOI

10.1007/s00414-019-02228-5

PMID

31836934

Abstract

This paper presents an unusual complex suicide case that died of nicotine addiction. The deceased was a 40-year-old male who was found lying dead on the floor in his room. In external findings, many incision wounds on his forearms and skin discoloration with epidermolysis on his cervical region could be seen. In the room, a blood-stained scissors and electric cord hanged on the exercise bike were found. Moreover, nine cigarette residues which were only the filter part and empty bottle of coffee were found on his side. At autopsy, we found that those injuries were not serious enough to lead him to the death. Toxicologically, caffeine, nicotine, cotinine, mirtazapine, and olanzapine could be detected, and the concentrations of nicotine were 3.740, 2.140, 3.100, and 451.100 μg/ml in cardiac blood, peripheral blood, urine, and stomach contents, respectively. These concentrations were evaluated as the fatal levels, and the cause of his death was diagnosed as acute nicotine intoxication.

Language: en

Keywords

Cigarette leaf; Complex suicide; Hanging; Incision wounds; Nicotine poisoning