Pathology of the human heart in drowning.
Examination of the hearts of ten human drowning victims revealed smooth-muscle contraction banding within the media of the major coronary arteries of eight patients (80%), focal ventricular myocyte hypereosinophilia in eight patients (80%), and ventricular myocyte contraction banding in five patients (50%). These lesions suggest that drowning is associated with a sympathetic storm, which produces both coronary arterial spasm and focal myocyte injury. The lesions may be the first-described positive morphologic markers of drowning in immersed subjects. This study provides further support for the concept that medial smooth-muscle contraction bands may be morphologic markers for antemortem coronary arterial spasm.
D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003327:Coronary Disease / Q000473:pathology; D004332:Drowning / Q000473:pathology*; D004802:Eosinophilia / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009200:Myocardial Contraction; D009206:Myocardium / Q000473:pathology*