TY - JOUR PY - 2020// TI - Sudden cardiac death after robbery: homicide or natural death? JO - Journal of forensic and legal medicine A1 - Bottari, Giampiero A1 - Trotta, Silvia A1 - Marzullo, Andrea A1 - Meliota, Giovanni A1 - Ciccone, Marco Matteo A1 - Solarino, Biagio SP - e102057 EP - e102057 VL - 75 IS - N2 - Tako-Tsubo is one of a number of rare acquired cardiomyopathies that are characterized by left ventricular dyskinesia and symptomatology typical of acute myocardial infarction (AMI). The most important feature is that the clinical features are triggered by a severe physical or emotional stress. The authors describe the story of a woman, who was brutally assaulted by two men during a house robbery and died from sudden heart failure 8 hours later, after being taken to hospital. External examination revealed no macroscopic alteration of the inner organs, whereas microscopy showed contraction bands with myocardial necrosis, subendocardial and interstitial neutrophil infiltration and fibrosis. These findings were consistent with death due to stress cardiomyopathy even in the absence of previous heart disease. The robbers were convicted of homicide and sentenced to eighteen years in prison.
Language: en
LA - en SN - 1752-928X UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jflm.2020.102057 ID - ref1 ER -