The American journal of forensic medicine and pathology
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Am J Forensic Med Pathol · Mar 2009
Case ReportsHead injuries, pentobarbital, and the determination of death.
The Bexar County Medical Examiner's Office in San Antonio, Texas, has encountered 3 cases within a 15-month period involving decedents who were pronounced dead by brain death or cardiac death examination and who had elevated, if not toxic concentrations of pentobarbital present at the time of examination. The elevated levels of pentobarbital were discovered during an autopsy examination performed for medicolegal reasons. The diagnosis of brain death and the implications of pentobarbital intoxication during a brain death examination are discussed.
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Am J Forensic Med Pathol · Dec 2008
Microscopic and spectroscopic features of gunpowder and its documentation in gunshot wounds in charred bodies.
Determining the direction and range of fire of gunshot wounds in charred bodies can be difficult because soot resulting from thermal injury can grossly be identical to soot arising from a contact or close-range firearm discharge. Two charred bodies had gunshot wounds of the head and neck region that were distorted by thermal effect, precluding determination of the direction and range of fire by gross findings alone. ⋯ In addition, 12 cases of suicide in well-preserved bodies with contact gunshot wounds were examined with FT-IR microscopy, confirming the presence of cellulose nitrate in 6 (50%) of the cases. Identification of cellulose nitrate in the tracks of gunshot wounds can assist in the determination of direction and range of fire when the surface features are charred.
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Am J Forensic Med Pathol · Dec 2008
Trends in firearm usage in homicides and suicides in Bexar County Texas from 1982 to 2004.
Numerous studies and epidemiological reports have been published which analyze firearm deaths by the type of firearm, the majority of which focus on a small time span and categorize weapon types by handgun, rifle, or shotgun. Few studies have focused on the caliber of weapon or long term trends in weapon use. We designed a retrospective study to analyze firearm deaths occurring between 1982 and 2004, considering manner of death (homicide versus suicide), firearm type, and caliber of the weapon. ⋯ Overall, the .38/.357 and the .22 caliber were the most commonly used handguns. The rate of .357/.38 handgun usage in homicides declined sharply over the study period whereas the use of the 9mm rose steadily, overtaking the .38/.357 in the late 1990s. The use of small caliber handguns steadily decreased in both homicidal and suicidal shootings whereas the .380 and .45 caliber handguns steadily increased in both homicidal and suicidal shootings.