Fatal injuries due to direct helicopter propeller strike.

During a helicopter exercise, due to the scarce visibility caused by the presence of snow, a collision between a landing helicopter and one already on the ground occurred. The 40-year-old pilot of the already landed aircraft was killed as a result of a direct propeller impact in the right side of the pilot's cockpit, while the co-pilot remained uninjured. At autopsy, the macroscopic characteristic findings in the form of cut injuries and amputations along the axis of the rotor blade impact as well as a 3D reconstruction through CT-Scan were analyzed and discussed for a thorough reconstruction of the injuries and the dynamics.

Epidemiologic, Postmortem Computed Tomography-Morphologic and Biomechanical Analysis of the Effects of Non-Invasive External Pelvic Stabilizers in Genuine Unstable Pelvic Injuries.

Unstable pelvic injuries are rare (3-8% of all fractures) but are associated with a mortality of up to 30%. An effective way to treat venous and cancellous sources of bleeding prehospital is to reduce intrapelvic volume with external noninvasive pelvic stabilizers. Scientifically reliable data regarding pelvic volume reduction and applicable pressure are lacking.

Discrepancies between clinical diagnosis and hospital autopsy: A comparative retrospective analysis of 1,112 cases.

Aims: The aim of this study was to compare discrepancies between diagnosed and autopsied causes of death in 1,112 hospital autopsies and to determine the factors causing this discrepancies.

Methods: 1,112 hospital autopsies between 2010 and 2013 were retrospectively studied. Ante-mortem diagnoses were compared to causes of death as determined by autopsy.

Synergistic Effects of Forensic Medicine and Traumatology: Comparison of Clinical Diagnosis Autopsy Findings in Trauma-Related Deaths.

Background: Trauma is the third leading cause of death worldwide after cardiovascular and oncologic diseases. Predominant causes of trauma-related death (TD) are severe traumatic brain injury (sTBI), hemorrhagic shock, and multiple organ failure. An analysis of TD is required in order to review the quality of trauma care and grasp how well the entire trauma network functions, especially for the most severely injured patients.

Complex fracture patterns in hanging associated with a fall from height.

In some rare cases of hanging, the so-called 'hangman's fracture' is observed. This occurs when a fall from height is associated with hanging, e.g.

More interdisciplinary research is needed in forensic medicine.

Forensic routine consists of more than just the classical legal medicine described in textbooks. It is often crucial to answer forensic questions that involve numerous interfaces with other medical disciplines. These interdisciplinary questions that arise in routine autopsy proceedures can also be addressed scientifically, despite decreasing autopsy numbers.

[Cooperation between emergency and forensic medicine - retrospective evaluation of pre-hospital emergency measures].

Emergency medical research is subject to special conditions. Emergency patients e.g.

Calcified myocardial necrosis in pediatric patients after cardiopulmonary resuscitation.

We report three autopsy cases of wide-spread myocardial necrosis with calcification in pediatric patients after temporary generalized hypoxia and initially successful cardiopulmonary resuscitation, but subsequent in-hospital death. Autopsy and histological workup in all three cases showed multiple circumscribed calcified and necrotic areas in progressive stages of organization within the myocardium. We conclude that these macro- and microscopic autopsy features appear to be related to reperfusion injuries in children as a consequence of hypoxic-ischemic changes occurring in the peri- and postresuscitation period.

Overall distribution of trauma-related deaths in Berlin 2010: advancement or stagnation of German trauma management?

Background: Trauma is the leading cause of death among children, adolescents, and young adults. The latest data from the German Trauma Registry reveals a constant decrease in trauma mortality, indicating that 11.6 % of all trauma patients in 2010 died in hospital.

[The sick accused: forensic and emergency aspects in the courtroom].

Evaluation of the fitness of an accused person to participate in legal proceedings is a classic forensic activity. Before the trial, the forensic expert will already assess any preexisting somatic and psychological illnesses and give a written expert opinion describing the condition of the accused at the time of the examination and assessing whether he is fit to stand trial. Nevertheless, decompensation or aggravation of a disease may occur--especially in stress situations as they are to be expected for an accused in the courtroom--so that apart from the current evaluation of the state of health of the accused, emergency treatment may occasionally become necessary in the courtroom.

Clinical diagnosis versus autopsy findings in polytrauma fatalities.

Objectives: The aim of the study was to determine if differences in clinical diagnosis versus autopsy findings concerning the cause of death in polytrauma fatalities would be detected in 19 cases of fatal polytrauma from a Level 1 trauma centre.

Methods: Clinical diagnoses determining the cause of death in 19 cases of fatal polytrauma (2007 - 2008) from a Level 1 trauma centre were correlated with autopsy findings.

Results: In 13 cases (68%), the clinical cause of death and the cause of death as determined by autopsy were congruent.

[Fatal sodium chloride intoxication--case report and review of the literature].

The authors describe the case of a 63-year-old, female nursing home inhabitant suffering from trisomy 21, who accidentally ingested the anti-epileptic medication of another nursing home inhabitant. After telephone instructions from a specialist in internal medicine, caregivers forced the woman to vomit by means of saline solution and digital manipulation. This caused not only substantial hypernatriaemia but also aspiration pneumonia, from which the woman died after short hospitalization.

Death due to ingestion of nicotine-containing solution: case report and review of the literature.

Nicotine, a lipid-soluble alkaloid obtained from the dried leaves of Nicotiana, is most frequently encountered in tobacco products for smoking, chewing or sniffing as well as in a limited number of pesticides. Though nicotine is one of the most toxic drugs of abuse, it has rarely led to fatalities. Sudden death can be caused by cardiovascular arrest, respiratory muscle paralysis and/or central respiratory failure.

Multidrug poisoning involving nicotine and tramadol.

A fatal case of multidrug poisoning by tramadol and nicotine is reported. Tramadol is a centrally acting analgesic used in the treatment of moderate to severe acute or chronic pain. Nicotine, a lipid-soluble alkaloid, is one of the most readily available drugs in modern society.

[Determination of death and post-mortem examination on the high seas].

Usually death has to be determined by a physician. Deaths on board of ocean-going vessels confront the crew with special challenges, as on the high seas--especially in the container and cargo ship business--often no physician will be available and death has to be determined by medical laymen such as the captain or the medical officer. To document the determination of death, a "Provisional Certificate of Death on the High Seas" is presented.

[Post-mortem animal predation of the genital region caused by a half-breed dog].

The authors describe and discuss the case of a 51-year-old man, who was lying mummified in his apartment. Beside the corpse, the well-fed half-breed dog of the deceased was found. Only the penis and testicles of the corpse were destroyed by post-mortem animal scavenging, whereas the face and the rest of the body were intact.

[A case of survived compression of the thorax by kneeling on it--"burking"?].

The authors describe the case of a 27-year-old Vietnamese shoplifter who was caught by two shop detectives and suffered traumatic and mechanical asphyxia due to obstruction of the respiratory excursion and pressure against the neck. The man surprisingly survived the incident without any neurological damage, although the emergency doctor called to the scene diagnosed a score of 4 on the Glasgow Coma Scale. Whether the term "burking" applies to the described case depends on which of the various definitions in the literature is used.