AI Article Synopsis
- Two cases of lethal gas embolism in a hospital are analyzed, revealing differences in the medico-legal cause of death despite the same medical cause.
- In the first case, proper scene preservation allowed for a clear determination of cause, while the second case's initial natural cause assumption and scene disruption led to an undetermined conclusion.
- These cases highlight the critical need for careful medico-legal procedures in hospitals to ensure accurate death investigations.
Article Abstract
Two cases of lethal gas embolism occurring in a hospital setting are presented. These did not differ with regards to the medical cause of death (MCOD), but did so with regard to the medico-legal cause of death (MLCOD). In the first case, the immediate recognition of a suspicious death and subsequent conservation of the scene led to a certain MLCOD (autolysis). In the second case, the death was initially treated as of natural cause. The subsequent disruption of the scene of death led to loss of evidence essential to establish the MLCOD, that was concluded to be undetermined. These cases illustrate the importance of medico-legal treatment of scenes of death to arrive at the MLCOD, and that the hospital setting is no exception especially as in view of potential medical liability.
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| http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jflm.2010.11.015 | DOI Listing |
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