Autopsy-proven determinants of immediate fire death in lungs

In immediate fire deaths, pulmonary injury may be the main source of mortality, being important to document the histologic findings for the purpose of excluding other modes of death, such as from asphyxia with no gross findings. In this context, a group of morphologic determinants have been targeted...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:	The American journal of forensic medicine and pathology Vol. 29; no. 4; pp. 323 - 329
Main Authors:	de Paiva, Luiz A S, Parra, Edwin R, da Rosa, Danieli C, Farhat, Cecília, Delmonte, Carlos, Capelozzi, Vera L
Format:	Journal Article
Language:	English
Published:	United States 01-12-2008
Subjects:	Adolescent Adult Aged Asphyxia - pathology Autopsy Child Child, Preschool Cluster Analysis Dilatation, Pathologic - pathology Female Fires Forensic Pathology - methods Hemorrhage - pathology Humans Infant Infant, Newborn Lung - pathology Male Middle Aged Pulmonary Alveoli - pathology Pulmonary Atelectasis - pathology Pulmonary Edema - pathology Young Adult
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Summary:	In immediate fire deaths, pulmonary injury may be the main source of mortality, being important to document the histologic findings for the purpose of excluding other modes of death, such as from asphyxia with no gross findings. In this context, a group of morphologic determinants have been targeted with useful makers of pulmonary injury. To facilitate the determination of whether an individual was deceased before the start of a fire and validate the importance of parenchymal alterations in pulmonary injury in fire deaths, we studied lungs in victims of fire (N = 28) and suffocation (N = 40), creating a mathematical model using cluster analysis. For this purpose, a semiquantitative analysis of the distal parenchyma was performed to evaluate the amount of bronchiolar dilatation, overinsufflation (ductal and alveolar), collapse (ductal and alveolar), passive congestion, alveolar edema, and hemorrhage (interstitial and alveolar). These 7 histologic determinants were useful to discriminate fire (bronchiolar dilatation, ductal overinsuflation, alveolar overinsuflation, alveolar hemorrhage) from suffocation lung injuries (alveolar collapse, congestion, and edema). We conclude that these determinants should be included in the routine of forensic pathology.
Bibliography:	ObjectType-Article-1 SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1 ObjectType-Feature-2 content type line 23
ISSN:	0195-7910 1533-404X
DOI:	10.1097/PAF.0b013e31818736cd