[The medical post-mortem examination - step by step].

The physician has to make numerous and legally far-reaching determinations in the course of the post-mortem examination. These can have considerable consequences for relatives and, moreover, for society. Therefore, the correct performance of post-mortem examinations and the correct evaluation of the findings is an extremely responsible task that every physician should master.

Macromorphological findings in cases of death in water: a critical view on "drowning signs".

Death in water is a challenging issue in forensic pathology since from natural death to homicide all circumstances of death in water are conceivable. Therefore, the correct interpretation of all abnormal autopsy findings is important. In order to determine a death by drowning, numerous internal and external signs of drowning are already described.

Urinary bladder volume measured in whole-body CT scans is a useful marker for alcohol intoxication.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to investigate whether urinary bladder volume (UBV) and blood alcohol concentration (BAC) correlate in a cohort of emergency trauma patients. Furthermore, the feasibility of semi-automated 3D-CT volumetry for urinary bladder volumetry calculations in whole-body CT examinations was elucidated.

Material And Methods: Whole-body CT scans of 831 individuals treated in the emergency department with suspected multiple injuries were included.

Penetrating chest trauma caused by a blank cartridge actuated rubber ball projectile: case presentation and ballistic investigation of an uncommon weapon type.

Recently, an increasing number of an uncommon weapon type based on a caliber 6-mm Flobert blank cartridge actuated revolver which discharges 10-mm-diameter rubber ball projectiles has been confiscated by police authorities following criminal offenses. A recent trauma case presenting with a penetrating chest injury occasioned an investigation into the basic ballistic parameters of this type of weapon. Kinetic energy E of the test projectiles was calculated between 5.

Energy-dependent expansion of .177 caliber hollow-point air gun projectiles.

Amongst hundreds of different projectiles for air guns available on the market, hollow-point air gun pellets are of special interest. These pellets are characterized by a tip or a hollowed-out shape in their tip which, when fired, makes the projectiles expand to an increased diameter upon entering the target medium. This results in an increase in release of energy which, in turn, has the potential to cause more serious injuries than non-hollow-point projectiles.

Ethanol and ethyl glucuronide urine concentrations after ethanol-based hand antisepsis with and without permitted alcohol consumption.

Background: During hand antisepsis, health care workers (HCWs) are exposed to alcohol by dermal contact and by inhalation. Concerns have been raised that high alcohol absorptions may adversely affect HCWs, particularly certain vulnerable individuals such as pregnant women or individuals with genetic deficiencies of aldehyde dehydrogenase.

Methods: We investigated the kinetics of HCWs' urinary concentrations of ethanol and its metabolite ethyl glucuronide (EtG) during clinical work with and without previous consumption of alcoholic beverages by HCWs.

Modeling internal ballistics of gas combustion guns.

Potato guns are popular homemade guns which work on the principle of gas combustion. They are usually constructed for recreational rather than criminal purposes. Yet some serious injuries and fatalities due to these guns are reported.

Ballistic parameters and trauma potential of carbon dioxide-actuated arrow pistols.

Medical literature abounds with reports of injuries and fatalities caused by arrows and crossbow bolts. Crossbows are of particular forensic and traumatological interest, because their mode of construction allows for temporary mechanical storage of energy. A newly developed type of pistol (Arcus Arrowstar), which belongs to the category of air and carbon dioxide weapons, discharges arrow-shaped bolts actuated by carbon dioxide cylinders.

["Piggyback" shot: ballistic parameters of two simultaneously discharged airgun pellets].

Green and Good reported an uncommon case of homicide committed with an air rifle in 1982 (Am. J. Forensic Med.

Subcaliber discarding sabot airgun projectiles.

Medical literature abounds with reports on injuries and fatalities caused by airgun projectiles. While round balls or diabolo pellets have been the standard projectiles for airguns for decades, today, there are a large number of different airgun projectiles available. A very uncommon--and until now unique--discarding sabot airgun projectile (Sussex Sabo Bullet) was introduced into the market in the 1980s.

Ballistic parameters of .177 (4.5 mm) caliber plastic-sleeved composite projectiles compared to conventional lead pellets.

The capability of conventional air gun lead pellets (diabolo pellets) to cause severe injuries or fatalities even at low kinetic energy levels is well documented in medical literature. Modern composite hunting pellets, usually a metal core (made of steel, lead, zinc, or a zinc and aluminum alloy) encased in a plastic sleeve, are of special forensic and traumatological interest. These projectiles are advertised by the manufacturers to discharge at higher velocities than conventional air gun pellets, thus generating very high tissue-penetrating capabilities.

Ballistic parameters and trauma potential of pistol crossbows.

Hand-held pistol crossbows, which are smaller versions of conventional crossbows, have recently increased in popularity. Similar to conventional crossbows, life threatening injuries due to bolts discharged from pistol crossbows are reported in forensic and traumatological literature. While the ballistic background of conventional crossbows is comprehensively investigated, there are no investigations on the characteristic ballistic parameters (draw force, potential energy, recurve factor, kinetic energy, and efficiency) of pistol crossbows.

Temporary cavity created by free-flying projectiles propelled from a powder-actuated nail gun.

Nails and driving pins discharged from powder-actuated fastening tools bear some special ballistic characteristics. Compared to the usual pistol or revolver projectiles, the sectional density (S) of fastening pins is extremely high. The general prevailing opinion is that the kinetic energy delivered by fastening tools is not high enough to cause a temporary cavity.

Nail projectiles propelled by a mason's lacing cord: an experimental approach.

The recent clinical observation of two unintentional penetrating ocular and cerebral injuries due to 90-mm construction nails gave occasion to an experimental study to check the alleged trauma mechanism for plausibility. Both casualties reported that they had attached a mason's lacing cord to the masonry using a nail as anchoring when suddenly the nail was yanked from its moorings and propelled like a missile by the overstretched lacing cord. As to the best of the authors' knowledge, this mechanism of injury has not yet been reported in any of the literature; it was the aim to find an experimental approach to review the plausibility of the alleged sequence of events leading to the accidents.

Ballistic parameters and trauma potential of direct-acting, powder-actuated fastening tools (nail guns).

Since their introduction in the 1950s in the construction and building trade, powder-actuated fastening tools (nail guns) are of forensic and traumatological importance. There are countless reports on both accidental and intentional injuries and fatalities caused by these tools in medical literature. While the ballistic parameters of so-called low-velocity fastening tools, where the expanding gases act on a captive piston that drives the fastener into the material, are well known, ballistic parameters of "high-velocity" tools, which operate like a firearm and release the energy of the propellant directly on the fastener, are unknown.

When backyard fun turns to trauma: risk assessment of blunt ballistic impact trauma due to potato cannons.

Although potato cannons are an area of great interest among internet users, they are almost completely unknown in the medical community. These simple ballistic devices are made from plastic plumbing pipes and are powered with propellant gas from aerosol cans. By combustion of the gas-oxygen mixture, a high pressure is produced which propels the potato chunks through the barrel.

[Reconstruction of sexual offences--forensic aspects of sperm traces].

The investigation of sexual offences is a real challenge, as the injuries are often unspecific or faint and may sometimes be missing completely. Evidence recovery and analysis as well as the statements of the victims and suspects are therefore of vital importance. In both presented cases, the results of trace evidence analysis were basically consistent with a sexual assault, but the victims' statements regarding the course of events and the pattern of traces showed severe discrepancies.

[Vital animal predation of the genital region caused by a mongrel dog].

A 79-year-old man, who was in a helpless situation due to cardiac decompensation, suffered dog bite injuries on the left thigh and in the genital region while still alive. Two extensive soft-tissue defects with contused and bruised wound edges were surrounded by multiple slit-like skin lesions. The outer genitals were almost completely missing.

Blunt Criterion trauma model for head and chest injury risk assessment of cal. 380 R and cal. 22 long blank cartridge actuated gundog retrieval devices.

Background: Blunt ballistic impact trauma is a current research topic due to the widespread use of kinetic energy munitions in law enforcement. In the civilian setting, an automatic dummy launcher has recently been identified as source of blunt impact trauma. However, there is no data on the injury risk of conventional dummy launchers.

Trauma potential and ballistic parameters of cal. 9 mm P.A. dummy launchers.

Introduction: Blank cartridge actuated dummy launching devices are used by migratory bird hunters to train dogs to retrieve downed birds. The devices create a loud noise while simultaneously propelling a hard foam dummy for retrieval. A newly developed dummy launcher is based on a modified cal.

[Lethal intoxication while driving a car].

This report concerns a passenger car crash, which at first looked like a case of multiple trauma resulting in the death of the pinned-in driver. Conspicuous was a cuff that had been applied to the left forearm. No significant injuries could be determined during the autopsy of the corpse.

The injury pattern to children involved in lethal traffic accidents in Berlin.

A statistical investigation of causes of death of children in Berlin, as well as in the rest of Germany shows, that 'accidents' are the most frequent causes of death in children. Nearly 50% of all child fatalities (0-15 years old) are due to traffic accidents. The reports of 30 children (19 boys, 11 girls) that were investigated in one of the three Institutes of Legal Medicine in Berlin over a period of 5 years were studied.

Forensic importance of aspiration.

The problems of assessment of aspiration (foreign bodies, stomach contents, food material) in forensic practical work are well-known, especially if 'suffocation due to aspiration' is considered to be the cause of death (or a concurrent cause of death). In the last 4 years (1998-2001) in the Department of Legal Medicine of the Free University, Berlin, 14 deaths with massive aspirations were investigated. The lethal aspiration cases consisted of seven men and five women between 55 and 91 years old, as well as two children (boy 6 years and girl 19 months old).

Experimental investigations of fractures of the upper thyroid horns.

Fractures of the upper thyroid horns are a frequent finding after a variety of neck injuries - resulting from a direct mechanical trauma, e.g. compression of the neck in manual strangulation or ligature strangulation, from blunt injuries (falls or blows against the neck), and sometimes from indirect trauma (whiplash-injuries).