Homicides Disguised as Fire Deaths
Background: When conducting a forensic examination of burnt bodies, it is important to determine whether the victim was exposed to fire while alive or after death. The differential diagnosis between antemortem and postmortem burning is difficult and often cannot be made based on information obtaine...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Vilnius University Press
2023-05-01
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| Series: | Acta Medica Lituanica |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://zurnalai.vu.lt/AML/article/view/30553 |
| _version_ | 1797826137239322624 |
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| author | Gabrielė Žiūkaitė Marta Jasaitė Sigitas Chmieliauskas Diana Vasiljevaitė Sigitas Laima Dalius Banionis Jurgita Stasiūnienė |
| author_facet | Gabrielė Žiūkaitė Marta Jasaitė Sigitas Chmieliauskas Diana Vasiljevaitė Sigitas Laima Dalius Banionis Jurgita Stasiūnienė |
| author_sort | Gabrielė Žiūkaitė |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description |
Background: When conducting a forensic examination of burnt bodies, it is important to determine whether the victim was exposed to fire while alive or after death. The differential diagnosis between antemortem and postmortem burning is difficult and often cannot be made based on information obtained solely from the autopsy. The aim of the study is to review current literature on this topic and present clinical cases that illustrate how challenging the determination of vitality during the fire and manner of death can be.
Materials and methods: We present four cases of burnt homicide victims, illustrating the complexity of forensic determination of the cause of death in the fire and the importance of differential diagnosis of antemortem and postmortem exposure to flames.
Results: In the forensic assessment autopsy is a fundamental to determine the cause of death. When death is related to fire, particular findings during autopsy can help to suspect that the victim was alive. One of the main antemortem signs is the deposition of soot in the respiratory tract. Another important test is the toxicological analysis, which determines the level of carboxyhaemoglobin in the blood: a concentration of more than 50% indicates that the person died in the fire.
Conclusions: Forensic examination of burnt bodies requires a comprehensive and detailed assessment of all available data. The autopsy, together with additional diagnostic forensic methods, including histological examination, toxicological analysis and postmortem computed tomography, allows the exact cause of death to be determined.
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| first_indexed | 2024-03-13T11:04:16Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-40bdee81dfd04840b9cbf66c8691e07e |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1392-0138 2029-4174 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-13T11:04:16Z |
| publishDate | 2023-05-01 |
| publisher | Vilnius University Press |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Acta Medica Lituanica |
| spelling | doaj.art-40bdee81dfd04840b9cbf66c8691e07e2023-05-16T09:46:56ZengVilnius University PressActa Medica Lituanica1392-01382029-41742023-05-0130110.15388/Amed.2023.30.1.10Homicides Disguised as Fire DeathsGabrielė Žiūkaitė0Marta Jasaitė1Sigitas Chmieliauskas2Diana Vasiljevaitė3Sigitas Laima4Dalius Banionis5Jurgita Stasiūnienė6Faculty of Medicine, Vilnius University, Vilnius, LithuaniaFaculty of Medicine, Vilnius University, Vilnius, LithuaniaDepartment of Pathology, Forensic Medicine and Pharmacology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences of the Faculty of Medicine of Vilnius University, Vilnius, LithuaniaDepartment of Pathology, Forensic Medicine and Pharmacology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences of the Faculty of Medicine of Vilnius University, Vilnius, LithuaniaDepartment of Pathology, Forensic Medicine and Pharmacology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences of the Faculty of Medicine of Vilnius University, Vilnius, LithuaniaDepartment of Pathology, Forensic Medicine and Pharmacology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences of the Faculty of Medicine of Vilnius University, Vilnius, LithuaniaDepartment of Pathology, Forensic Medicine and Pharmacology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences of the Faculty of Medicine of Vilnius University, Vilnius, Lithuania Background: When conducting a forensic examination of burnt bodies, it is important to determine whether the victim was exposed to fire while alive or after death. The differential diagnosis between antemortem and postmortem burning is difficult and often cannot be made based on information obtained solely from the autopsy. The aim of the study is to review current literature on this topic and present clinical cases that illustrate how challenging the determination of vitality during the fire and manner of death can be. Materials and methods: We present four cases of burnt homicide victims, illustrating the complexity of forensic determination of the cause of death in the fire and the importance of differential diagnosis of antemortem and postmortem exposure to flames. Results: In the forensic assessment autopsy is a fundamental to determine the cause of death. When death is related to fire, particular findings during autopsy can help to suspect that the victim was alive. One of the main antemortem signs is the deposition of soot in the respiratory tract. Another important test is the toxicological analysis, which determines the level of carboxyhaemoglobin in the blood: a concentration of more than 50% indicates that the person died in the fire. Conclusions: Forensic examination of burnt bodies requires a comprehensive and detailed assessment of all available data. The autopsy, together with additional diagnostic forensic methods, including histological examination, toxicological analysis and postmortem computed tomography, allows the exact cause of death to be determined. https://zurnalai.vu.lt/AML/article/view/30553forensic sciencehomicideburned bodiesantemortem burningpostmortem burning |
| spellingShingle | Gabrielė Žiūkaitė Marta Jasaitė Sigitas Chmieliauskas Diana Vasiljevaitė Sigitas Laima Dalius Banionis Jurgita Stasiūnienė Homicides Disguised as Fire Deaths Acta Medica Lituanica forensic science homicide burned bodies antemortem burning postmortem burning |
| title | Homicides Disguised as Fire Deaths |
| title_full | Homicides Disguised as Fire Deaths |
| title_fullStr | Homicides Disguised as Fire Deaths |
| title_full_unstemmed | Homicides Disguised as Fire Deaths |
| title_short | Homicides Disguised as Fire Deaths |
| title_sort | homicides disguised as fire deaths |
| topic | forensic science homicide burned bodies antemortem burning postmortem burning |
| url | https://zurnalai.vu.lt/AML/article/view/30553 |
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