In a prospective autopsy series of 39 cases of fatal drowning, the detailed dissection of the skeletal muscles of the neck, anterior/posterior trunk and the upper extremities in layers revealed intramuscular hemorrhages of different size and shape in 20 cases (51.3%). Light microscopy examination showed a premortal (vital/agonal) type of muscular alteration in 7 (50%) out of 14 macroscopical hemorrhage-positive cases. These hemorrhages and histological muscle alterations are attributed to agonal convulsions, hypercontraction and overexertion of the affected muscle groups. As long as no cutaneous or subcutaneous hematomas above the hemorrhages can be found, these autopsy findings (with special reference to histology) can serve as an additional criterion concerning the differentiation of drowning and another cause of death.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.