Problems associated with the diagnosis of vitality in burned bodies

Bohnert, Michael; Werner, Christoph R.; Pollak, Stefan

doi:10.1016/s0379-0738(03)00214-7

Cited by 81 publications

(65 citation statements)

References 34 publications

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“…In the forensic assessment of burned bodies, the question whether the victim was exposed to the fire before or after death is of crucial importance [1]. The circumstances surrounding the heat exposure episode are vital when trying to establishing if the victim's demise was an accident, a crime or a suicide [2].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Several external signs have been used in the past to indicate heat exposure prior to the death of the victim. These external signs have included skin blisters coupled with an inflammatory reaction, lack of soot deposits at the corners of the eyes, incompletely singed eyelashes and petechial haemorrhages in the conjunctivae [1][2][3]. The internal signs of heat 2 exposure are generally regarded as more important than those observed externally [1][2][3][4][5][6].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…These external signs have included skin blisters coupled with an inflammatory reaction, lack of soot deposits at the corners of the eyes, incompletely singed eyelashes and petechial haemorrhages in the conjunctivae [1][2][3]. The internal signs of heat 2 exposure are generally regarded as more important than those observed externally [1][2][3][4][5][6]. These include soot deposits in the respiratory tract, oesophagus and stomach, oedematous swelling and vesicular detachment of the mucosa in the pharynx and larynx as well as high blood level values for carboxyhemoglobin (COHb) and hydrogen cyanide (HCN) [1,2,4,5,6].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The internal signs of heat 2 exposure are generally regarded as more important than those observed externally [1][2][3][4][5][6]. These include soot deposits in the respiratory tract, oesophagus and stomach, oedematous swelling and vesicular detachment of the mucosa in the pharynx and larynx as well as high blood level values for carboxyhemoglobin (COHb) and hydrogen cyanide (HCN) [1,2,4,5,6]. Hirsch et.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Tongue protrusion as an indicator of vital burning

et al. 2013

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In the forensic assessment of burned bodies, the question of whether the victim was exposed to the fire before of after death is of crucial importance. Several external signs have been used in the past to indicate heat exposure prior to the death of the victim but these did not include tongue protrusion. The internal signs of heat exposure are generally regarded as much more important than those observed externally. No one factor has been found to be totally reliable. This study found a statistically significant dependence between tongue protrusion and presence soot in the respiratory tract and stomach, the later being a good indicator of vital burning. The results of this study confirm that tongue protrusion can be used as an additional indicator of vital burning.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Tongue protrusion as an indicator of vital burning

et al. 2013

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“…This is a very bold conclusion. The authors ignore in their argumentation that most fire-related deaths show signs of vitality [1][2][3][4][5][6]. This has not only been demonstrated in various studies, but is also true in the 107 cases presented by Bernitz et al [1].…”

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confidence: 99%

Protrusion of the tongue in burned bodies as a vital sign?

Bohnert

2013

Int J Legal Med

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Injury: Burns, Scalds, and Chemical

Bohnert

2009

Wiley Encyclopedia of Forensic Science

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The purpose of the forensic investigation of deaths related to heat exposure is to determine the manner and cause of death, the vitality of the findings, and the identity of the victim. The basis of the assessment is a careful evaluation of the autopsy findings. Additional investigations, such as toxicological tests (e.g., determination of carbon monoxide concentration, cyanide concentration, and blood alcohol concentration) or histological examination (particularly of the airways), may help to complete the assessment of the case. The possible findings of burned bodies cover a broad spectrum. They can range from minor, local, superficial burns of the skin to calcined skeletal remains without any soft tissue left. The external as well as the internal findings in burned bodies depend on the temperature actually applied to the body, the time for which it is applied, the kind of transmission of the heat to the body, and other prevailing conditions. The consequences are burns of the exposed tissue, changes in the content and distribution of tissue fluid, fixation of the tissue, and shrinking processes. Only in very rare cases do the effects of the heat cease with the time of death. Consequently, many findings seen at autopsy may be of postmortem origin with fluent transitions between intravital, perimortal, and postmortem changes.

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Problems associated with the diagnosis of vitality in burned bodies

Cited by 81 publications

References 34 publications

Tongue protrusion as an indicator of vital burning

Tongue protrusion as an indicator of vital burning

Protrusion of the tongue in burned bodies as a vital sign?

Injury: Burns, Scalds, and Chemical

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