Clotted blood as sign of alcohol intoxication: a retrospective study

Abstract

A total of 138 autopsies performed at the Institute of Legal Medicine of the University of Münster between 1994 and 2006 were subdivided into two groups: (1) 69 asphyxial deaths with a blood alcohol level (BAL) > 1 per thousand and (2) 69 asphyxial deaths with a BAL of 0.00 per thousand. The coagulation state in the central vessels was registered in all cases as fluid, compactly clotted or loosely clotted, and the post-mortem interval was recorded. Histology investigations were performed on the liver to analyze the incidence of hepatic fibrosis/cirrhosis. Fisher's exact test was performed to check for statistical significance. The blood was found to be clotted in 49.3% of the cases of group (1) and in 5.8% of group (2) (p < 0.01). The post-mortem interval did not have any influence on the coagulation state as observed in both groups. Liver fibrosis/cirrhosis was a rare finding detected in three cases in group 1 and in two cases in the control group 2 and, therefore, not relative to our observations. A distinctly positive BAL is often associated with heavy stages of blood coagulation as observed during autopsy. Distinctly positive alcohol concentrations have an influence on the fibrinolytic process and, hence, on the coagulation status.

Hyperthermia combined with ethanol administration induces c-fos expression in the central amygdaloid nucleus of the mouse brain. A possible mechanism of heatstroke under the influence of ethanol intake

“…Presence or absence of ethanol intake of the deceased is determined by the examination of antemortem or postmortem blood samples [29,30]. We show here that heatstroke is associated with increased activity of the CeA in ethanol-preadministrated mice.…”

Skin wounds vitality markers in forensic pathology: An updated review

“…Although fibrin appeared to be a suitable marker of vital origin in several studies, 18,29,30 some research based on immunohistochemistry has documented fibrin positivity in post-mortem injuries. 18,29,31 D-dimer, a degradation product of the fibrin network, could be a wound vitality marker, as described in an ELISA test study using frozen tissue. 32 Evidence of a statistically significant difference was provided only with incised skin wounds, and not in abrasions and contusions.…”