[Use of a CO-oximeter for forensic diagnosis of hypothermia].
Blood samples were collected from the right and left atria separately in 9 cases of hypothermia and 18 cases of non-hypothermia during judicial and consented autopsy between March 1995 and December 1997. The oxyhemoglobin ratio (O2Hb), reduced hemoglobin ratio (RHb) and oxygen saturation (sO2) were measured by oximetric analysis. O2Hb, R-Hb and sO2 were significantly greater in the hypothermic group than the non-hypothermic group. We conclude that the diagnosis of hypothermia can be established in cases where O2Hb and sO2 in the left atrium exceed 80%, irrespective of values in the right atrium.
Department of Legal Medicine, Asahikawa Medical College, Japan.
K
K
Shimizu
H
H
Mizukami
T
T
Fukushima
M
M
Sasaki
H
H
Shiono
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D005554:Forensic Medicine / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D007035:Hypothermia / Q000175:diagnosis*; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010092:Oximetry / Q000379:methods*; D010100:Oxygen / Q000097:blood; D010108:Oxyhemoglobins / Q000032:analysis
D010108:Oxyhemoglobins; D010100:Oxygen