{"title":"Suicide by an Electric Power Drill and Spade Drill Bit: An Unusual Mechanism of Death.","authors":"Trevor Watkins, Nathan Milne, Beng Beng Ong","doi":"10.1097/PAF.0000000000000970","DOIUrl":"10.1097/PAF.0000000000000970","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Abstract: </strong>Self-inflicted penetrating brain injuries with drills have been reported but are uncommon and typically involve the use of conventional drill bits. We report an unusual case of a 56-year-old man with a history of psychiatric illness who completed suicide using an electric drill and spade-type drill bit. Multiple superficial scalp and deeper bony injuries were sustained, although without breach of the dura, and death was not from brain injury, but secondary to venous air embolism related to entrainment of air into diploic vessels.</p>","PeriodicalId":55535,"journal":{"name":"American Journal of Forensic Medicine and Pathology","volume":" ","pages":"73-78"},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2025-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141635997","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Multiorgan Crystal Deposition in Acute Ethylene Glycol Toxicity.","authors":"Matthew Uy, Kimberley Molina","doi":"10.1097/PAF.0000000000000991","DOIUrl":"10.1097/PAF.0000000000000991","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Abstract: </strong>Ethylene glycol (EG) is a widely available chemical and a well-known toxin in forensic pathology, which can lead to severe metabolic acidosis and death. Its metabolism in the body leads to formation of calcium oxalate (CO) crystals, which can precipitate in the kidney leading to renal failure. Although the identification of CO crystals in the kidney is widely known, the deposition of CO crystals in other organs has only occasionally been reported and seldom studied. This report examines 18 deaths due to EG toxicity for the presence of CO crystals in various organs. CO crystals were identified most often in the kidneys, followed by the brain and lungs. It is hypothesized that crystal deposition in these other organs may contribute to the toxicity of EG.</p>","PeriodicalId":55535,"journal":{"name":"American Journal of Forensic Medicine and Pathology","volume":" ","pages":"44-47"},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2025-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142402085","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Alexandra Cina, Ilaria Tarozzi, Ponni Arunkumar, Lorenzo Gitto
{"title":"Firearm Fatalities in the Pediatric Population: A Retrospective Study From the Cook County Medical Examiner's Office.","authors":"Alexandra Cina, Ilaria Tarozzi, Ponni Arunkumar, Lorenzo Gitto","doi":"10.1097/PAF.0000000000000973","DOIUrl":"10.1097/PAF.0000000000000973","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Abstract: </strong>Gunshot injuries are one of the leading causes of death from trauma in the United States. In recent years, the US has experienced an increasing number of fatal pediatric cases related to firearms.A search of the database of the Cook County Medical Examiner's Office over the period January 2016-December 2021 revealed 418 deaths by gunshot wounds (GSWs) among people aged between 0 and 18 years old. Subjects were subcategorized in infants (0 to 1 year), toddlers (≥1 to 3 years), preschool (≥3 to 6 years), preadolescents (≥6 to 12 years), and adolescents (≥12 to 18 years).Most victims were males (n = 374) and adolescents (357 males and 30 females). Homicide (n = 373) was the most common manner of death. Only 2 deaths were accidental. Single GSWs deaths (n = 232) were more common than multiple GSWs (n = 186) and preferentially directed to the head in both homicides and suicides. Gang or robbery related events in areas of readily available firearms explained 4.5% of homicides (17 out of 373 cases). Among deaths by self-inflicted GSWs (n = 36), 7 cases were linked to psychiatric disorders, 3 to family difficulties, 2 to history of playing Russian roulette, and 2 to bullying at school.Pediatric gunshot injuries and deaths are an important public health problem. Understanding and addressing individual and societal risk factors should be the first step toward prevention.</p>","PeriodicalId":55535,"journal":{"name":"American Journal of Forensic Medicine and Pathology","volume":" ","pages":"22-27"},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2025-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141918155","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Mark W Kroll, Richard M Luceri, Igor R Efimov, Hugh Calkins
{"title":"The Mechanism of Death in Electrocution: A Historical Review of the Literature.","authors":"Mark W Kroll, Richard M Luceri, Igor R Efimov, Hugh Calkins","doi":"10.1097/PAF.0000000000000980","DOIUrl":"10.1097/PAF.0000000000000980","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Abstract: </strong>Our present understanding of electrocution followed a long path of detours and speculation. It is now hard to appreciate how mysterious was an unexpected sudden death-without visible trauma-and we should be sympathetic to the surprising theories that came from well-intentioned attempts to find something in the autopsy of an electrocution victim.The early hypotheses (1880s) tended to favor effects on the central nervous system, but the emphasis switched to arterial and hematological mechanisms as well as respiratory arrest (ie, asphyxia) along with a widespread publication debate. While careful animal experimentation slowly established that electrocution was due to the induction of VF (ventricular fibrillation), the older hypotheses held sway for many decades. Even today, the neurogenic and asphyxial explanations reappear occasionally.Despite 170 years of research, the phenomenon of electrocution continues to generate new hypotheses for its mechanism.</p>","PeriodicalId":55535,"journal":{"name":"American Journal of Forensic Medicine and Pathology","volume":" ","pages":"3-9"},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2025-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141876770","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Tracheobronchial Thrombus.","authors":"Sarra Dodaro, David Winston","doi":"10.1097/PAF.0000000000000969","DOIUrl":"10.1097/PAF.0000000000000969","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":55535,"journal":{"name":"American Journal of Forensic Medicine and Pathology","volume":" ","pages":"e3-e4"},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2025-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141636000","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Barriers to Family History Collection and Family Medical Screening Recommendation in the Sudden Death in the Young Case Registry.","authors":"Bailey Machek, Cassandra Buck, Heather MacLeod, Christine Keywan","doi":"10.1097/PAF.0000000000000989","DOIUrl":"10.1097/PAF.0000000000000989","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Abstract: </strong>Sudden death in the young (SDY) poses a public health problem affecting thousands of individuals annually in the United States. The SDY Case Registry utilizes existing infrastructure of death investigation programs, including medical examiner/coroner (ME/C) systems, to enhance understanding of SDY causes and risk factors to inform prevention strategies. This includes identifying and promoting screening recommendations for at-risk family members. To explore barriers to family history collection and familial screening recommendation procedures across Registry sites, nine individuals from seven SDY sites were interviewed. Interviews focused on logistics, methods to address barriers, and recommendations for improvements. Despite variability in practices, data analysis revealed three common themes related to barriers of these processes: (1) timing and grief, (2) lack of family history in medical records, and (3) families lost to follow-up. This study offers insights into these processes within the Registry and sheds light on broader practices within the death investigation domain. Data analysis led to recommendations for the improvement of these practices including the prioritization of three key family history questions during the initial death investigation by a designated individual in each office/system.</p>","PeriodicalId":55535,"journal":{"name":"American Journal of Forensic Medicine and Pathology","volume":" ","pages":"34-39"},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2025-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142577219","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Fiocchi/SinterFire: Lead-Free, Sintered-Metal Frangible Ammunition/Projectiles.","authors":"Garrett Phillips","doi":"10.1097/PAF.0000000000000974","DOIUrl":"10.1097/PAF.0000000000000974","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":55535,"journal":{"name":"American Journal of Forensic Medicine and Pathology","volume":" ","pages":"92-93"},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2025-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142577238","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Christopher Rogers, Denis Astarita, Lakshmanan Sathyavagiswaran, Patrick Pazmiño, Arturo Ramírez-Montañana
{"title":"Fat Embolism Fatalities Following Liposuction/Injection in Los Angeles County (2010-2018).","authors":"Christopher Rogers, Denis Astarita, Lakshmanan Sathyavagiswaran, Patrick Pazmiño, Arturo Ramírez-Montañana","doi":"10.1097/PAF.0000000000000993","DOIUrl":"10.1097/PAF.0000000000000993","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Abstract: </strong>One complication of autologous fat transfer into the buttocks (cosmetic injection of fat into the gluteal region) is inadvertent fat embolization. In 2015, our office published a case of macro fat/adipose tissue embolization following fat transfer surgery. Between 2010 and 2018, we had six additional cases of macro/micro fat embolism that caused death. Professional associations and plastic surgeons have recommended ways to avoid fat embolism during fat transfer. In our experience, the risk of fat embolism has decreased in Los Angeles in recent years. Our office has had only one case since 2018 where an unlicensed individual performed the procedure. However, fat embolism is still possible in cases where professional recommendations are not followed. We recommend that the evaluation of possible fat embolus cases include full autopsy with gluteal dissection, microscopic examination of intravascular fat, review of medical and anesthesia records, including whether ultrasound was used during fat grafting, toxicological examination of specimens taken as close to the time of arrest as possible, and anesthesiology consultation.</p>","PeriodicalId":55535,"journal":{"name":"American Journal of Forensic Medicine and Pathology","volume":" ","pages":"48-54"},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2025-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142787971","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Lorenzo Gitto, Tracy Wadsworth, Daniel Isenschmid, Alex J Krotulski, Barry K Logan, Ilaria Tarozzi, Ponni Arunkumar
{"title":"MDMB-4en-PINACA-Related Deaths in Cook County Jail: Awareness and Preventive Measures.","authors":"Lorenzo Gitto, Tracy Wadsworth, Daniel Isenschmid, Alex J Krotulski, Barry K Logan, Ilaria Tarozzi, Ponni Arunkumar","doi":"10.1097/PAF.0000000000000966","DOIUrl":"10.1097/PAF.0000000000000966","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Abstract: </strong>Since January 2023, a series of fatalities has occurred in the Cook County Jail. Upon reviewing surveillance videos, in some cases, the inmates shared paper strips, and it was followed by the onset of labored breathing and loss of consciousness. Scene investigation revealed burnt paper strips near the body in 3 cases. No trauma was observed during autopsy. The expanded toxicology panels did not detect any illegal drugs in the postmortem blood samples. However, additional analysis specifically targeting synthetic cannabinoids revealed the presence of MDMB-4en-PINACA [methyl 3,3-dimethyl-2-{[1-(pent-4-en-1-yl)-1 H -indazole-3-carbonyl]amino}butanoate], a synthetic cannabinoid associated with a wide range of adverse effects, including cardiovascular complications such as tachycardia and hypertension, respiratory depression, and acute kidney injury. There is limited research on the lethality of MDMB-4en-PINACA. This case series suggests that even isolated use can potentially lead to death. This study aims to raise public awareness regarding MDMB-4en-PINACA, highlighting its unpredictable effects and potential for severe adverse reactions, and to facilitate the development of effective prevention and harm reduction strategies. Implementing screening methods in correctional facilities is crucial to prevent the circulation of potentially fatal substances.</p>","PeriodicalId":55535,"journal":{"name":"American Journal of Forensic Medicine and Pathology","volume":" ","pages":"87-91"},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2025-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141635994","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Shojiro Takasu, Sari Matsumoto, Yuko Kanto, Kimiharu Iwadate
{"title":"Ruptured Aortic Valve Aneurysm Caused by Infective Endocarditis in a SARS-CoV-2-Positive Autopsy Case.","authors":"Shojiro Takasu, Sari Matsumoto, Yuko Kanto, Kimiharu Iwadate","doi":"10.1097/PAF.0000000000000978","DOIUrl":"10.1097/PAF.0000000000000978","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Abstract: </strong>Aortic valve aneurysm, an extremely rare complication secondary to infective endocarditis (IE), may cause heart failure due to rupture of the aneurysm. Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has been reported to cause cardiovascular complications and alter susceptibility to secondary infections such as IE. Herein, we report a case of IE with a fatal outcome caused by rupture of an aortic valve aneurysm in a severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)-positive autopsy case. The patient was a 67-year-old male diagnosed with heart failure after presenting with edema and weight gain. He was found dead in bed 2 weeks after initial symptom presentation. Autopsy revealed an aneurysmal sac in the center of the noncoronary cusp of the aortic valve with an opening of approximately 1 cm in the center of the aneurysmal wall. Histologically, aortic valve vegetation, destruction of the aortic valve cusp, rupture of the aneurysmal wall, and an abscess under the aortic intima were observed. Gram staining of the aneurysmal wall showed a gram-positive coccus. The reverse transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction assay was positive for SARS-CoV-2. Because no defined risk factors for IE other than SARS-CoV-2 infection were observed, the association between IE and COVID-19 was highly likely.</p>","PeriodicalId":55535,"journal":{"name":"American Journal of Forensic Medicine and Pathology","volume":" ","pages":"55-58"},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2025-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141918156","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}