Document Detail


An autopsy case of suicide by acetylene explosion: a case report.
MedLine Citation:
PMID:  19537452     Owner:  NLM     Status:  MEDLINE    
Abstract/OtherAbstract:
We report an autopsy case of a male welder in his thirties who was found dead in an exploded truck cabin. The roof, windows and doors of the cabin had been blown up to 50 metres away. An oxygen cylinder and an acetylene cylinder, both unexploded, were found in the back of the truck. The deceased was lying on the driver's seat. His entire body was burnt, carbonised and partially skeletonised. There was a small amount of soot in his oesophagus and stomach and a large volume of bloody fluid in the trachea and bronchi. There was an extensive haemorrhage in the posterior thoracic wall. No drugs were detected in the blood. Hardly any carbon monoxide and combustion-related gases were detected in the blood, therefore he was not considered to have died from the fire. Acetylene was detected in his blood (21.5 microg/ml in the femoral vein blood) and urine (7.49 microg/ml), with marked haemorrhaging in his back. We therefore concluded that the victim died because of an acetylene explosion in the cabin and also that this was a suicide.
Authors:
Masayuki Kashiwagi; Kenji Hara; Mutsuo Takamoto; Mitsuyoshi Kageura; Aya Matsusue; Tomoko Sugimura; Shin-ichi Kubo
Publication Detail:
Type:  Case Reports; Journal Article    
Journal Detail:
Title:  Medicine, science, and the law     Volume:  49     ISSN:  0025-8024     ISO Abbreviation:  Med Sci Law     Publication Date:  2009 Apr 
Date Detail:
Created Date:  2009-06-22     Completed Date:  2009-08-04     Revised Date:  -    
Medline Journal Info:
Nlm Unique ID:  0400721     Medline TA:  Med Sci Law     Country:  England    
Other Details:
Languages:  eng     Pagination:  132-5     Citation Subset:  IM    
Affiliation:
Department of Forensic Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Fukuoka University, Japan. kasiwagi@fukuoka-u.ac.jp
Export Citation:
APA/MLA Format     Download EndNote     Download BibTex
MeSH Terms
Descriptor/Qualifier:
Acetylene / adverse effects*,  blood,  urine
Adult
Explosions*
Forensic Pathology
Humans
Male
Suicide*
Chemical
Reg. No./Substance:
74-86-2/Acetylene

From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine


Previous Document:  Patterns of injury seen in deaths from accidental falls down a staircase: a study from South Delhi.
Next Document:  Homicide by organophosphorus compound poisoning: a case report.