Post-mortem investigation of calcium content in liver, heart, and skeletal muscle in accidental hypothermia cases

Abstract The identification of hypothermia as cause of the death was always quite problematic in the field of forensic medicine. The aim of the present study was to verify the determination of calcium content in post-mortem liver, heart, and skeletal muscle samples as the biochemical marker defining...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Forensic science international 2009-09, Vol.190 (1), p.87-90
Main Authors: Jakubeniene, Marija, Irnius, Algimantas, Chaker, Gregoire Abi, Paliulis, Jonas Mindaugas, Bechelis, Antanas
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
Aged
Aged, 80 and over
Atomic absorption spectroscopy
Biological and medical sciences
Calcium
Calcium - analysis
Cardiomyocytes
Case-Control Studies
Central Nervous System Depressants - analysis
Cold
Ethanol - analysis
Fatalities
Fatty Liver - pathology
Female
Flame Ionization
Forensic medicine
Forensic Pathology
Forensic sciences
Gastric Mucosa - pathology
General aspects
Heart
Heart attacks
Heart Ventricles - chemistry
Homeostasis
Humans
Hypothermia
Hypothermia - pathology
Investigative techniques, diagnostic techniques (general aspects)
Liver
Liver - chemistry
Male
Medical sciences
Middle Aged
Muscle, Skeletal - chemistry
Musculoskeletal system
Pathology
Public health. Hygiene
Public health. Hygiene-occupational medicine
Rodents
Spectrophotometry, Atomic
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Summary:Abstract The identification of hypothermia as cause of the death was always quite problematic in the field of forensic medicine. The aim of the present study was to verify the determination of calcium content in post-mortem liver, heart, and skeletal muscle samples as the biochemical marker defining hypothermia as the cause of death. The study involved 43 autopsy cases in which the circumstances of death indicated the effects of overcooling. The control group consisted of material collected from the corpses of 30 persons who were not exposed to low temperatures but died due to technical injuries ( n = 5), asphyxia ( n = 6), intoxication with ethanol and other substances ( n = 8), and acute myocardial infarction/ischemia ( n = 11). The concentration of calcium in autopsy samples was determined applying flame atomic absorption spectroscopy. Our study showed no significant differences of calcium content in tissues of persons who died due to hypothermia, over those who died in normothermic conditions.
ISSN:0379-0738
1872-6283
DOI:10.1016/j.forsciint.2009.05.017