Srp Ark Celok Lek
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The more or less subclinical presence of fat emboli in the lungs and other vital organs, without ischaemic changes in them, whose presence could be postmortem established only by microscopic examination, is termed in forensic medicine systemic fat embolism. On the other hand, Fat Embolism Syndrome (FES) is a clinical manifestation of the presence and influence of fat emboli in organs, with clearly defined neurological, respiratory and cutaneous signs and various symptoms, grouped in the so called major and minor signs [8-11]. ⋯ In all our sample cases pulmonary fat embolism was verified, and in a great number of them systemic fat embolism. According to medicolegal principles, pulmonary and systemic fat embolism that develop a few hours after trauma can be considered as a consequence of typical body fat depot injury. The later developed FES could be considered as the complication of such an injury. Pulmonary and systemic fat embolism could complicate the basic trauma, e.g. craniocerebral, abdominal or thoracic, and could be considered as the precipitating cause of death. Because of non-specific and non-characteristic macroscopic autopsy findings, pulmonary and systemic fat embolism could be missed as the cause of death.