Pattern of sudden cardiac deaths.

Background And Objective: Sudden cardiac death can be defined as a sudden, unexpected death caused by loss of heart function. Notwithstanding major developments in the diagnosis and treatment of heart disease, it remains the major contributing factor for deaths. This considers the pattern of sudden cardiac deaths.

A Study on Postmortem Wound Dating by Gross and Histopathological Examination of Abrasions.

Introduction: Abrasions are the most common blunt force injuries. The precise dating of injury is extremely important in forensic medicine practice. As we know, the wound healing occurs in well-orchestrated sequence, consisting of inflammation, proliferation, and maturation.

Pattern of unnatural deaths among children: An autopsy study.

This study was conducted at the M. S. Ramaiah Medical College, Bangalore, between October 2007 and September 2009 to analyse the age and sex distribution of unnatural deaths in children, patterns and manner of death.

Glue sniffing.

Inhalant abuse refers to the inhalation of volatile substances for their euphoric effects. Glues and adhesives have been abused inhalants for decades and so the term "glue sniffing" attached to the habit. These days many substances used are not adhesives and the most accurate title of "solvent abuse" has been given to this widespread and dangerous habit.

A death due to ecstasy - a case report.

Drug addicts face the dangers of accidental overdose, fatal intoxication, reduced tolerance and carelessness in consuming drugs. There is an increasing use of designer drugs in many cities. The body of a 29 year-old male, an event manager by profession with an alleged history of consumption of ecstasy tablets, was subjected to autopsy.

Gastrointestinal hemorrhage in aluminum phosphide poisoning.

Poisoning, both accidental and intentional, is a significant contributor to the mortality and morbidity throughout the world. The commonest pesticide poisoning is organophosphates followed by phosphides. Ingestion of phosphides can induce severe gastrointestinal irritation leading to hemorrhage and ulcerations.

Fatal head injury: a sequelae to electric shock - a case report.

Deaths due to electric shock are increasing despite stringent laws and preventive measures. These shocks are a leading cause of death amongst construction workers. In about 20% of the cases, no visible injury due to electricity can be seen.

Sudden neuropathological deaths: An autopsy study.

Background: Sudden or unexpected death can occur from unnatural causes, such as violence or poisoning, as well as from natural causes. Second to cardiac causes, neuropathology is one of the main causes of sudden natural death. In spite of the increasing incidence of neuropathological deaths, few studies have been conducted in Asia - hence the reason for the present study.

Aortic dissection complicated with haemothorax - an autopsy report.

In a forensic setting, haemothorax is usually seen in cases of trauma. The main non-traumatic cause for haemothorax is an intrathoracic rupture of an acute aortic dissection or an aortic aneurysm that is almost always fatal. Here we present one such case of sudden natural death caused by rupture of an acute aortic dissection.

Atypical fatal entry wound to the thigh--a case report.

Stab wounds encountered in medico-legal practice are caused by sharp or blunt pointed weapons such as a kitchen knife, dagger, screwdriver, iron rod, etc. Atypical entry wounds may result from elasticity of skin, relative movement of the victim or the offending weapon or both. These are often described in the literature.

Sudden death due to coronary artery insufficiency as a result of massive cardiomegaly--a case report.

Forensic pathologists encounter a wide range of deaths due to natural causes. Natural deaths can be sudden and unexpected, occurring in apparently healthy people. All such cases have to be investigated and a medico-legal autopsy should be conducted to ascertain the cause of death, and to rule out any criminal cause of death.

Death due to coronary artery insufficiency following blunt trauma to the chest.

There have been numerous reports of sudden cardiac death following blunt trauma to the chest, but there is lack of such references in forensic literature. It is the court of law which makes decision about trauma precipitating natural events. The forensic pathologist is scientifically trained in the medical field and would be in a better position to give clear picture about the victim's general status at the time of death, exact nature and severity of the illness he is suffering from if any.

Death due to isolated jejunal tear following blunt abdominal trauma.

Small intestinal injury following blunt abdominal trauma has been widely reported. Isolated jejunal tear which is caused by blunt abdominal trauma is rare and is most often seen in road traffic accidents. Here, we report a case of isolated jejunal tear in a 24-year-old male truck driver.

Sudden death in Marfan syndrome.

Marfan syndrome is an autosomal dominant genetic disorder of the connective tissue. The most serious complications of this syndrome are defects of the heart valves and aorta. Aneurysms of thoracic aorta are known to develop in Marfan syndrome.

Fatal case of retropharyngeal abscess associated with Pott's disease.

Retropharyngeal abscess is a rare, deep seated infection of the neck that usually affects young children. Chronic retropharyngeal abscess is rare and results from tuberculosis of the spine. Such swelling in the neck gradually increases in size and is detected during the routine radiological screening for symptoms like pain, dysphagia, fever, dyspnoea, progressive inspiratory stridor (from laryngeal obstruction), neck hyperextension etc, but rarely leads to sudden death due to airway obstruction.

Study of sudden gastrointestinal deaths: an autopsy study.

Sudden or unexpected deaths can occur from violence, poisoning, as well as from natural causes. In spite of gastrointestinal diseases being one of the important causes for sudden natural death, only limited studies have been conducted into the pattern of sudden deaths due to gastrointestinal causes. As a result, a 10-year (January 2001 to December 2010) retrospective study was conducted in the Department of Forensic Medicine, M.

Study of defence injuries in homicidal deaths - An autopsy study.

In order to determine specific patterns and distribution of defence injuries, this study was conducted on 121 homicidal deaths which showed defence injuries in 40 (33%) cases. Of these 40 victims, 72.5% were males and 27.