Risse der Magenschleimhaut bei Ertrunkenen, ein Zeichen des Ertrinkungstodes

Fritz, Erich

doi:10.1007/bf01746858

Cited by 3 publications

(2 citation statements)

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“…Inside the stomachs of drowning victims, Fritz (1932) found longitudinal mucosa lesions, attributed to the forced vomiting of large amounts of liquid and foam [ 9 , 16 – 18 ]. In addition, Wydler (1896) described a three-layering of a foamy upper phase which consists of a mixture of drowning fluid and tracheal secretion, lying on a medium liquid phase and food particles at the bottom [ 10 , 19 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Macromorphological findings in cases of death in water: a critical view on “drowning signs”

2020

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Death in water is a challenging issue in forensic pathology since from natural death to homicide all circumstances of death in water are conceivable. Therefore, the correct interpretation of all abnormal autopsy findings is important. In order to determine a death by drowning, numerous internal and external signs of drowning are already described. However, these are supposed to be influenced by various factors reducing their significance and evidence. Moreover, the autopsy of water corpses often reveals further pathological findings that should not be underestimated for determining the cause of death. The aim of this study was to set frequencies of the observed drowning signs in context to the forensic literature and to identify possible influencing factors. In this study, we observed that pathological organ changes of the cardiovascular system were significantly more common in corpses after shortened (atypical) drowning processes than in classical drowned victims. Furthermore only a complete formation of external foam, immediately after the corpse’s recovery, was exclusively found in drowning victims. All other drowning signs were either also observed in non-drowning deaths in water or no information could be provided with reasonable assurance. In addition, many of the examined drowning signs were negatively affected by prolonged postmortem intervals, putrefaction, or resuscitation attempts. It can be concluded from our analysis that morbidity is an important factor in deaths in water. Morbidity can support a death by drowning in case of incidents in water. For the examined drowning signs, no high diagnostic certainty could be observed. Nevertheless, these findings can increase their diagnostic value—if forensic physicians take influencing factors into consideration.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Macromorphological findings in cases of death in water: a critical view on “drowning signs”

2020

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“…Another finding of pulmonary hyperinflation are so-called Paltauf’s spots, boundary indistinct and pale hemorrhages per rhexis under the pleura [ 7 ]. Findings suggestive of vital drowning in other organs include severe congestion and hemorrhages within the petrous temporal bones [ 1 ], longitudinal laceration in gastric mucosa [ 4 , 8 , 9 ], and separation of the gastric contents into three layers (called Wydler’s sign, contents are separated into foamy, drowning medium, and food particle phases) [ 4 , 10 , 11 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Epidemiological analysis of intramuscular hemorrhage of respiratory and accessory respiratory muscles in fatal drowning cases

et al. 2021

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The postmortem diagnosis of drowning death and understanding the mechanisms leading to drowning require a comprehensive judgment based on numerous morphological findings in order to determine the pathogenesis and epidemiological characteristics of the findings. Effortful breathing during the drowning process can result in intramuscular hemorrhage in respiratory and accessory respiratory muscles. However, the characteristics of this phenomenon have not been investigated. We analyzed the epidemiological characteristics of 145 cases diagnosed as drowning, in which hemorrhage, not due to trauma, was found in the respiratory muscles and accessory respiratory muscles. Hemorrhage was observed in 31.7% of these cases, and the incidence did not differ by gender or drowning location. The frequency of hemorrhage was significantly higher in months with a mean temperature below 20°C than in months above 20°C, suggesting a relationship between the occurrence of hemorrhage and low environmental temperature. Moreover, the frequency of hemorrhage was significantly higher in the elderly (aged ≥65 years) compared to those <65 years old. In the elderly, the weakening of muscles due to aging may contribute to the susceptibility for intramuscular hemorrhage. Moreover, these intramuscular hemorrhages do not need to be considered in cases of a potential bleeding tendency due to disease such as cirrhosis or medication such as anticoagulants. Our results indicate that intramuscular hemorrhage in respiratory and accessory respiratory muscles can serve as an additional criterion to differentiate between fatal drowning and other causes of death, as long as no cutaneous or subcutaneous hematomas above the muscles with hemorrhages are observed. In addition, the epidemiological features that such intramuscular hemorrhage is more common in cold environments and in the elderly may provide useful information for the differentiation.

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