Citation

Lares Dos Santos C, Gouveia RH, Vieira DN. J. Forensic Leg. Med. 2019; 62: 82-86.

Affiliation

Forensic Medicine and Forensic Sciences and of Ethics and Medical Law, Institute of Legal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Coimbra, Azinhaga de Santa Comba, Celas, 3000-548, Coimbra, Portugal. Electronic address: dnvieira@fmed.uc.pt.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2019, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.jflm.2019.01.008

PMID

30703715

Abstract

The authors report the case of the unexpected death of a fifty-year-old female found by her partner in the bathroom floor. External examination revealed some contusions dispersed by different corporal areas and an unusually placed green discoloration of the anterior cervical region. After neck dissection and opening the esophagus, a three and a half centimeter wooden toothpick fragment was found at the upper region, covered by a purulent substance associated with puncture wounds. Histopathological and microbiological studies revealed "acute bilateral cervical cellulitis" and Klebsiella Oxytoca, respectively. Further investigation revealed that during the five days prior to her death, the victim was observed twice in an emergency department with complains of throat discomfort after eating some bread with salami. X-Ray and a laryngoscopy were performed but did not reveal any significant findings. Due to the victim's medical history, she was evaluated by a psychiatrist that dismissed a non-somatic setting due to the type of complains and the elevation of blood inflammatory parameters. Rinopharyngitis was then assumed as the most likely diagnosis and was treated accordingly. The victim died the following day. This case reports an unusual fatal traumatic lesion to the upper esophagus that is a very important remainder, particularly for clinical practitioners, to maintain a high degree of suspicion, avoid diagnostic biases such as those related to psychiatric disorders and meticulously evaluate patients in order to deliver the most evidence-based diagnosis possible. To the best of the authors' knowledge there are no other cases described in the literature of a death caused by esophageal toothpick lesion.

Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Ltd and Faculty of Forensic and Legal Medicine. All rights reserved.

Language: en

Keywords

Cellulitis; Death; Esophagus; Forensic; Klebsiella oxytoca; Toothpick; Trauma