The American journal of forensic medicine and pathology
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Am J Forensic Med Pathol · Jun 1997
Case ReportsUnusual presentation of death due to carbon monoxide poisoning. A report of two cases.
Two cases are reported representing opposite ends of the spectrum of death as a result of carbon monoxide poisoning from car exhaust fumes. In one case, a women was reported to be found dead in bed early in the morning by her husband. The cause of her death, established by autopsy, was carbon monoxide poisoning. ⋯ In the second case, a women was found in a car located in her garage with a hose leading from the exhaust pipe to the interior of the sealed vehicle. Autopsy revealed negligible carboxyhemoglobin saturation of the blood, bilateral infarction of the globus pallidus, and extensive bronchopneumonia. It was concluded that inhalation of carbon monoxide resulted in sublethal hypoxia with subsequent exhalation of carbon monoxide and a delayed death.
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During a 10-year period (1980-1989), at least 43 cases of self-incineration with lethal outcome took place in Denmark. The incidence seems to be increasing: 11 cases took place in the first 5 years and 32 cases in the last 5 years. An even sex ratio as found (male:female = 23:20). ⋯ Most were found dead at the scene, and the cause of death was usually heat exposure. Only a minority had a lethal carboxy-hemoglobin (CO-Hb) concentration. It is concluded that close cooperation between police, fire experts, and the forensic pathologist is necessary to permit a correct classification of the mode of death in these cases.