Diagnosis of drowning: Electrolytes and total protein in sphenoid sinus liquid

In forensic diagnosis, diagnosis of drowning presents a major problem [1]. Useful findings for diagnosis of drowning include the presence of micro-froth around the mouth and in the airways, pleural effusion, emphysema aquosum, water in the stomach and duodenum, and diatoms in the blood and various organs [1 –9]. It is also important to determine whether drowning occurred in freshwater or seawater because it is important to determine the site where drowning occurred [1]. To determine whether drowning occurred in freshwater or seawater is greatly assisted by the characteristics of the lungs, diatom tes t, electrolyte concentration of the liquid in the stomach and duodenum, and electrolyte concentration of pleural effusion [1–5,10–14].

Source: Forensic Science International - February 22, 2017 Category: Forensic Medicine Authors: Akira Hayakawa, Koichi Terazawa, Kotaro Matoba, Kie Horioka, Tatsushige Fukunaga Source Type: research