The American journal of forensic medicine and pathology
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Am J Forensic Med Pathol · Mar 1994
Review Case ReportsHydrogen peroxide: a source of lethal oxygen embolism. Case report and review of the literature.
Hydrogen peroxide is a readily available clear, odorless liquid that is commonly used as an irrigant for superficial wounds. It is not widely thought of as a poison; however, it may rarely be the cause of accidental death. A case of fatal oxygen embolism in a child after ingestion of hydrogen peroxide is reported. ⋯ Hydrogen peroxide should not be considered to be innocuous; it should neither be ingested nor used in situations where the evolved oxygen gas cannot dissipate freely. The ubiquitous nature of household peroxide and its erroneous benign reputation suggest that child-resistant containers are in order. A protocol delineating the medicolegal investigation and postmortem examination of fatalities caused by the ingestion of this substance is offered.
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Am J Forensic Med Pathol · Mar 1994
Case ReportsDelayed death following carbon monoxide poisoning. A case report.
The body of a deceased woman was found in a car. The circumstances were typical for suicidal carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning by inhalation of exhaust gases, except that the vacuum cleaner hose had become detached from the exhaust. Autopsy revealed only decompositional changes. ⋯ It is consistent that this woman inhaled sufficient CO to cause coma, at which stage the hose became detached, and that she then exhaled CO over the next 2-3 days before finally dying. Delayed death following CO poisoning is an uncommon occurrence. This case is reported because of its unusual nature.
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Scotland was an independent nation state until 1707 when it became the most northerly part of the United Kingdom. Today Scotland, constitutionally, is less than a state or a province in a federal union, but retains vestiges of its ancient sovereignty by having its own legal system and separate administration. English law and Scots law are two quite separate systems--a unique constitutional phenomenon within a unitary state. ⋯ Only 3% are by firearms. Organised forensic medicine began with the professorships in medical jurisprudence at Edinburgh in 1806 and at Glasgow in 1839. Today forensic pathology services are funded by the central government but are based in the universities of Edinburgh, Glasgow, Dundee, and Aberdeen.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
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Eleven cases of sudden death of men restrained in a prone position by police officers are reported. Nine of the men were hogtied, one was tied to a hospital gurney, and one was manually held prone. ⋯ Two were shocked with stun guns shortly before death. The literature is reviewed and mechanisms of death are discussed.
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Am J Forensic Med Pathol · Dec 1993
Case ReportsA fatality involving two unusual compounds--zolpidem and acepromazine.
A fatality due to ingestion of zolpidem, a recently developed nonbenzodiazepine hypnotic, and acepromazine, a phenothiazine sedative used in veterinary practice, is reported. Both drugs were identified and quantified using high-performance liquid chromatography with diode-array detection. ⋯ It is the first report of a death involving either of these two drugs. The results are discussed in the light of the existing literature and may suggest a reciprocal potentiation of the toxic effects of zolpidem and phenothiazines.