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[Diagnosis of drowing as based on chloride, urea and creatinine values]
Insights
Blood chloride, urea, and creatinine levels can help diagnose drowning. Significant differences between the right and left heart in these markers increase drowning diagnosis probability, but results are auxiliary.
Area of Science:
- Forensic pathology
- Clinical chemistry
Context:
- Differentiating drowning from other causes of death is crucial in forensic investigations.
- Biochemical markers in blood may offer insights into the cause of death.
Purpose:
- To investigate the utility of blood chloride, urea, and creatinine levels in diagnosing drowning.
- To determine the correlation between the concentration differences of these analytes in the right and left heart and the probability of drowning.
Summary:
- Blood samples from the right and left heart of 38 drowned individuals and 32 controls (other causes of death) were analyzed for chloride, urea, and creatinine.
- Pronounced differences in chloride and urea levels, and lesser differences in creatinine, were observed between the right and left heart in drowned bodies.
- The probability of diagnosing drowning increases with the magnitude of these differences, with specific thresholds identified for each analyte.
Impact:
- Establishes the potential of specific biochemical markers for aiding in drowning diagnosis.
- Highlights the limitations and auxiliary nature of these tests, emphasizing the need for careful interpretation in forensic toxicology.
Abstract:
Chlorides, urea and creatinine values in the blood of the right and left heart were studied in 38 drowned bodies and 32 subjects with another cause of death. Pronounced differences between the right and left heart of the drowned bodies were found in chlorides and urea, less in creatinine. The probability of the diagnosis of drowning rises with the increasing difference between the right and left heart; in chlorides from the difference of 13 mg%, in urea 6 mg% and in creatinine 0,45 mg%. Contradictory results may, however, be obtained. Therefore the above mentioned laboratory test should be considered auxiliary only.