Pathology Outlines - Asphyxia Mechanical asphyxia: asphyxia due to impaired breathing secondary to the body being in an unnatural position or severe compression to the neck, chest or other areas of the body that make respiration difficult or impossible (positional asphyxia, traumatic asphyxia, smothering, choking and strangulation)
Pathology Outlines - Autopsy forensics A-E: ancillary investigations asphyxia autopsy report-general autopsy techniques basic heart dissection techniques for forensic purposes blunt force injuries brain contusions cause, manner, mechanism of death death certificate child abuse (pending) drowning elder abuse (pending) environmental deaths
Pathology Outlines - Drowning Drowning: respiratory impairment (asphyxia) due to inhalation of water following submersion in liquid (Acad Forensic Pathol 2018;8:8, J Forensic Leg Med 2019;66:79) Implies an air - liquid interface at the opening of the airway that prevents the individual from inhaling air
Pathology Outlines - Autopsy techniques Anterior approach is commonly done in daily practice to assess injury to the neck structures, including if sustained pressure to the neck as a cause of or contributor to death (see Asphyxia) Similar to facial dissection, the standard Y incision of the anterior can be utilized by continuing to reflect the skin and subcutaneous tissue upward
Pathology Outlines - Blunt force injuries Petechia: small, pinpoint hemorrhage due to acute rise in venous pressure (congestion) leading to capillary rupture (e g from asphyxia) Hematoma: large collection of extravasated blood (e g from traffic accident) Patterned contusions: Linear contusions: when a rectangular shaped object strikes the body
Pathology Outlines - Postmortem changes Definition: Postmortem stiffening or rigidity of the body due to depletion of ATP and accumulation of lactic acid; in a dead body, the glycogen stores are rapidly depleted, preventing the energy dependent breakage of sarcomere contraction (J Physiol 1947;106:177)
Pathology Outlines - Traffic related deaths May cause death from asphyxia (compression, positional or a combination of both) if the individual is trapped inside the crashed vehicle or is ejected and becomes trapped beneath the vehicle (Am J Forensic Med Pathol 2008;29:14) Ejection from the vehicle is possible in nonbelted occupants (Traffic Inj Prev 2018;19:734)
Pathology Outlines - Nuchal cord If the umbilical cord begins to constrict around the neck, vascular occlusion of the umbilical vessels and subsequent decreased venous return from the placenta can lead to asphyxia In type A nuchal cord, the placental end of the umbilical cord crosses over the fetal end, allowing the ability for the nuchal cord to undo itself in time (an
Thymic tissue - Pathology Outlines US of ectopic thymus is identical to echotexture of the orthotopic thymus: Irregular, triangular, polygonal hypoechoic (rarely hyperechoic) area with punctate, granular or linear bright internal echoes surrounded by normal thyroid tissue (J Clin Ultrasound 2012;40:266, Thyroid 2015;25:534)