Citation

D'Ovidio C, Rosato E, Bonelli M, Carnevale A, Marsella LT. Med. Sci. Law 2018; 58(1): 55-57.

Affiliation

Department of Biomedicine and Prevention, 60259 Section of Forensic Medicine, Social Security and Forensic Toxicology, Tor Vergata University of Rome, Italy.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2018, British Academy of Forensic Sciences, Publisher SAGE Publishing)

DOI

10.1177/0025802417747430

PMID

29283003

Abstract

The case reported involved a 60-year-old man with psychiatric illness who was found dead at his home. He was almost naked and showed signs of death by violent asphyxiation, which led to the suspicion of homicide. Autopsy findings showed foreign material in the trachea and larynx. However, the partially digested content in his stomach, the study of the gastric content and the microscopic analysis the airways made it possible to define this as accidental death due to inhalation of material from a diaper. Toxicological analysis detected the presence of phenytoin, valproic acid, and phenobarbital in his blood, with values within the therapeutic ranges. This is certainly a peculiar case, as particularly evident after careful review of the literature on deaths by asphyxiation in psychiatric patients. Furthermore, this study highlights the importance of a full autopsy and microscopic evaluation of any foreign bodies.

Language: en

Keywords

Choking; asphyxia; crime scene investigation (CSI); criminalistics; fatal accident; foreign body; forensic pathology; psychiatric patient