The American journal of forensic medicine and pathology
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Am J Forensic Med Pathol · Sep 2013
Fatal pediatric head injuries: a 20-year review of cases through the Auckland coroner's office.
Inflicted pediatric head injury is a significant issue in New Zealand, fatal cases receiving extensive media attention. The primary aims of this article were to analyze injury patterns and reported mechanisms against both age and cause (accidental or inflicted). The secondary aims were to quantify these deaths and identify trends over time. ⋯ In children younger than 2 years, in the absence of motor vehicle or pedestrian trauma, subdural hemorrhage and diffuse axonal injury were both highly suggestive of inflicted injury. The absence of a history of trauma or a history of a fall less than 1 m was also highly suggestive of inflicted injury. Retinal hemorrhages in these fatal head injuries were severe in 77% of cases and moderate in the remainder.
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Am J Forensic Med Pathol · Sep 2013
Case ReportsVallecular rupture with cervical spine fracture after a failed hanging suicide attempt.
Hanging is a common method of suicide. We present a case of vallecular rupture and cervical spine fracture without an external wound after a failed hanging suicide attempt. Surgical treatment involved posterior fusion of C2 to 3, followed by repair of the vallecular rupture via an external approach. The patient recovered with no residual physical or mental sequelae.
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Am J Forensic Med Pathol · Sep 2013
Deaths due to sharp force injuries in Bexar County, Texas, with respect to manner of death.
In the United States, there is a paucity of studies examining sharp force injuries (SFIs), defined as an injury inflicted by cutting or stabbing with a sharp instrument. Few studies exist that discriminate between the injury patterns of suicidal or homicidal deaths incurred by SFI. In this retrospective study, all deaths secondary to SFI were evaluated at the Bexar County Medical Examiner's Office from January 1988 through May 2010. ⋯ The presence of additional (non-SFI) injuries was more common in homicides than in suicides. Hesitation marks/tentative wounds occurred in 35% of suicides, whereas defensive injuries occurred in 31% of homicides. This epidemiological study can assist the forensic pathologist in determining the most probable manner of death from SFI but does not substitute for a thorough examination of the circumstances of death and a meticulous autopsy.