title: Bloodstain pattern analysis in a case of fatal varicose vein rupture.
abstract: Rupture of a varicose vein is a rare cause of sudden death. It occurs when the failure of venous valves causes an increase in venous pressure great enough to provoke rupture of the blood vessel. When it does happen, the victim is often found surrounded by a pool of blood, and the examination of the scene can mislead the forensic team to think of violent death. Until now, the bloodstain patterns in these fatal cases have not been described. An examination of the bloodstain pattern in a case of fatal varicose vein rupture in an 84-year-old man is here reported.
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire de Sciences Judiciaires et de Médecine Légale, Montreal, Quebec, Canada. a.sauvageau@msp.gouv.qc.ca
authors.forename: Anny
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sauvageau
authors.forename: Morgan
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Schellenberg
authors.forename: Stéphanie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Racette
authors.forename: François
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Julien
mesh_terms: D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001801:Blood Stains; D003645:Death, Sudden / Q000209:etiology*; D017809:Fatal Outcome; D005554:Forensic Medicine; D006470:Hemorrhage / Q000209:etiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012422:Rupture, Spontaneous; D014648:Varicose Veins / Q000150:complications*