The American journal of forensic medicine and pathology
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Fraternity hazing can cause a variety of injuries and deaths. We recently had the opportunity to investigate a heat-related death that occurred during a college fraternity event. ⋯ This case is intended to alert health care professionals that deaths on college campuses may be related to fraternity hazing and may require in-depth investigations. An analysis of the death and a discussion of heat-related injuries are presented.
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In the United States, there is currently an epidemic of firearms violence. Among victims of this violence, there are striking racial and ethnic patterns in the manners and circumstances of death. This study was conducted to explore and quantitate some of these differences. ⋯ The data suggest that the subtypes, psychodynamics, and causes of suicide may currently differ among racial and ethnic groups. These differences should be considered in order to formulate adequate prevention strategies and to assess the suicide and homicide risk in depressed individuals. The difficulty of accurate death certification in some cases is also discussed.
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Embolization is a well-recognized phenomenon in medicine and forensic pathology and generally involves formed blood elements, bone, air, amniotic fluid, or more exotic items such as bullets. We report the embolization of a chain-saw link. ⋯ Most reports of chain-saw incidents cite accidental injuries to hands and arms or dramatic facial injuries due to entrapment and recoil (1,2). One fatality occurred from a skull fracture and cerebral injury when a 19-year-old man fell onto a saw.
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Am J Forensic Med Pathol · Sep 1994
The role of the medical examiner/coroner in organ and tissue procurement for transplantation.
Facts and principles concerning the role of the medical examiner or coroner in the procurement of organs or tissue for transplantation are presented. Topics discussed are the legalities and the importance of control of the dead body, the medical examiner's or coroner's role in the determination of death, recognition of and working around procurement artifacts and resultant loss of evidence, the medical examiner's or coroner's part in determining suitability of organs for transplantation, the medical examiner or coroner's request for donation by the family, granting of permission for donation of organs or tissue by the medical examiner or coroner, and examination of the mortally injured by the medicolegal officer.