Giant berry aneurysms in a forensic setting: a series of 14 cases.

This is a series reviewing 14 cases of giant saccular aneurysms diagnosed at the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner of New York City collected over an 11-year period. Data collected on all 14 cases included neuropathological findings, comorbidities, and toxicological findings. Of these 14 cases, 8 were in women, and the ages ranged from 3 to 79 years, with a mean and a median of 50 years.

Accidental fire fatality with sustained combustion.

This is a case of a 59-year-old man found with extensive second to fourth degree thermal burns found lying on the ground several feet from a vehicle used as his domicile. Autopsy revealed extensive loss of soft tissue and fragmentation of bone, mostly to the trunk region, with partial sparing of the upper trunk, head, and extremities.The decedent had a history of acute and chronic substance abuse and it was reported that he was participating in a methadone program.

Sudden cardiac death in a 20-year-old male swimmer.

In young adults, hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy (HOCM) is an acknowledged risk factor for sudden cardiac death (SCD) in an otherwise healthy and active patient. While the incidence of SCD in young people is not high enough for extensive, wide-scale examinations, the potential for prevention of some deaths via pre-exercise imaging may be beneficial in certain patient populations, such as those with a family history of SCD or professional athletes. We present the case of a healthy 20-year-old man with no past medical history who died while swimming in a river, likely secondary to cardiac arrest in the setting of HOCM.