title: Differences in postmortem urea nitrogen, creatinine and uric acid levels between blood and pericardial fluid in acute death.
abstract: Previous studies showed significant differences in postmortem urea nitrogen (UN), creatinine (Cr) and uric acid (UA) levels in heart blood depending on the causes of death, including acute death. In addition, the levels in pericardial fluid approximated the clinical serum reference ranges, and their elevations may be assessed based on clinical criteria. The present study investigated difference between blood and pericardial levels of these markers. Medicolegal autopsy cases (n=556, within 48h postmortem) of the following causes of death were examined: injury (n=136), asphyxiation (n=50), drowning (n=39), fire fatalities (n=99), hyperthermia (n=11), hypothermia (n=8), poisoning (n=26), delayed traumatic death (n=44) and natural diseases (n=143). When serum UN, Cr and UA levels were compared with the pericardial levels, there was an equivalency for delayed traumatic death and chronic renal failure, although each level was markedly elevated. Parallel increases in serum and pericardial UA and/or Cr levels were also observed for hypothermia and gastrointestinal bleeding. However, in drowning cases, the left cardiac and pericardial UN levels were lower than the right cardiac and peripheral levels, suggesting the influence of water aspiration. Significant elevations in serum and pericardial Cr and UA levels with a higher serum/pericardial UA ratio for fatal methamphetamine intoxication suggest progressive skeletal muscle damage due to advanced hypoxia/acidosis. Similar findings were often observed for other acute and subacute deaths. These findings suggest that a comparison between blood and pericardial nitrogenous compounds would be useful for investigating the cause and process of death.
authors.affiliation: Department of Legal Medicine, Osaka City University Medical School, Asahi-machi 1-4-3, Abeno, 545-8585 Osaka, Japan. legalmed@med.osaka-cu.ac.jp
authors.forename: Bao-Li
authors.initials: BL
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.forename: Takaki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ishikawa
authors.forename: Tomomi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Michiue
authors.forename: Sayaka
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tanaka
authors.forename: Dong
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.forename: Dong-Ri
authors.initials: DR
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Li
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Quan
authors.forename: Shigeki
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Oritani
authors.forename: Hitoshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Maeda
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001237:Asphyxia / Q000378:metabolism; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000032:analysis; D001806:Blood Urea Nitrogen; D002561:Cerebrovascular Disorders / Q000378:metabolism; D003404:Creatinine / Q000032:analysis*; D004332:Drowning / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D005334:Fever / Q000378:metabolism; D005390:Fires; D049429:Forensic Pathology; D006801:Humans; D007035:Hypothermia / Q000378:metabolism; D007676:Kidney Failure, Chronic / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010496:Pericardium / Q000737:chemistry*; D011041:Poisoning / Q000378:metabolism; D011180:Postmortem Changes; D014527:Uric Acid / Q000032:analysis*; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D014527:Uric Acid; D003404:Creatinine