title: Differentiation at autopsy between in vivo gas embolism and putrefaction using gas composition analysis.
abstract: Gas embolism can arise from different causes (iatrogenic accidents, criminal interventions, or diving related accidents). Gas analyses have been shown to be a valid technique to differentiate between putrefaction gases and gas embolism. In this study, we performed systematic necropsies at different postmortem times in three experimental New Zealand White Rabbits models: control or putrefaction, infused air embolism, and compression/decompression. The purpose of this study was to look for qualitative and quantitative differences among groups and to observe how putrefaction gases mask in vivo gas embolism. We found that the infused air embolism and compression/decompression models had a similar gas composition prior to 27-h postmortem, being typically composed of around 70-80 % of N(2) and 20-30 % of CO(2), although unexpected higher CO(2) concentrations were found in some decompressed animals, putting in question the role of CO(2) in decompression. All these samples were statistically and significantly different from more decomposed samples. Gas composition of samples from more decomposed animals and from the putrefaction model presented hydrogen, which was therefore considered as a putrefaction marker.
authors.affiliation: Veterinary Histology and Pathology, Department of Morphology, Institute of Animal Health, Veterinary School, University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Trasmontaña s/n. 35416, Arucas, Las Palmas, Spain.
authors.forename: Yara
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Bernaldo de Quirós
authors.forename: Oscar
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: González-Díaz
authors.forename: Andreas
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Møllerløkken
authors.forename: Alf O
authors.initials: AO
authors.lastname: Brubakk
authors.forename: Astrid
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hjelde
authors.forename: Pedro
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Saavedra
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Fernández
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002245:Carbon Dioxide / Q000032:analysis; D004618:Embolism, Air / Q000473:pathology*; D004646:Emphysema / Q000473:pathology; D049429:Forensic Pathology; D006859:Hydrogen / Q000032:analysis; D023421:Models, Animal; D009584:Nitrogen / Q000032:analysis; D011180:Postmortem Changes; D012372:ROC Curve; D011817:Rabbits
chemical_list: D002245:Carbon Dioxide; D006859:Hydrogen; D009584:Nitrogen