Cardiac laceration without any external chest injury in an otherwise healthy myocardium - a case series.

The heart is relatively well protected within the thoracic cavity from all the sides. Thus it is rather uncommon to find a cardiac laceration in cases of blunt trauma to the chest and that too when there is no evident injury to the chest wall. Several cases with history of death following blunt trauma were autopsied by us in recent months.

Autopsy diagnosis of a death due to scorpion stinging--a case report.

Post-mortem diagnosis of envenomation by a scorpion with or without a reliable history is a herculean task for any forensic pathologist. The challenge is compounded when stinging occurs at night, with the history remaining unreliable. The autopsy diagnosis is further complicated when the inflicted wound is small, and the mark is obliterated by healing within few days.

Recent changes in Criminal Procedure Code and Indian Penal Code relevant to medical profession.

Some sections in Criminal Procedure Code and Indian Penal Code have a direct binding on medical practitioner. With changing times, few of them have been revised and these changes are presented in this article.

Fatal venous air embolism following intravenous infusion.

Venous air embolism has been reported as a complication of invasive diagnostic and therapeutic procedures or accidental trauma. Little is known about the incidence of air embolism after minimal intravenous manipulations such as the insertion of a peripheral intravenous cannula. Only when large amounts of air sufficient enough to block the cardiovascular system enter, the patient develops symptoms and signs of severe neurological injury, cardiovascular collapse, or death.