Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 16, 2026
A Modified Murine Heterotopic Heart Transplant Protocol Matching Contemporary Standards of Aseptic Technique, Anesthesia, and Analgesia
Published on: September 28, 2022
Hemopericardium-related fatalities: a 10-year medicolegal autopsy experience
Gurcan Altun1, Armagan Altun, Ahmet Yilmaz
1Department of Forensic Medicine, Cardiology, Faculty of Medicine, Trakya University, Edirne, Turkey. galtun@trakya.edu.tr
Insights
Hemopericardium-related deaths, often from stabbing, predominantly affect men and frequently result in death at the scene due to hemorrhagic shock rather than cardiac tamponade.
Area of Science:
- Forensic Pathology
- Trauma Surgery
- Cardiovascular Medicine
Background:
- Blunt or penetrating cardiac injuries often lead to cardiac tamponade and hemorrhagic shock.
- Many patients with severe cardiac trauma succumb before reaching medical facilities.
- This study analyzes fatalities associated with hemopericardium.
Purpose of the Study:
- To conduct a detailed analysis of hemopericardium-related fatalities.
- To identify demographic characteristics, causes, and mechanisms of death in these cases.
- To understand injury patterns in fatal hemopericardium.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective review of medicolegal autopsy records from 1994-2003.
- Investigation of demographic data, hospitalization status, cause, manner, and mechanism of death.
- Analysis of wound location, number of perforations, and specific cardiac or vascular sites injured.
Main Results:
- The study included 40 fatalities (7 women, 33 men).
- Stabbing was the most common cause of death (50%), with homicide being the most frequent manner (79%).
- Hemorrhagic shock (77.5%) was the primary mechanism of death, with most entrance wounds on the left chest and perforations in the ventricles.
Conclusions:
- Hemopericardium deaths predominantly occurred in men, with stabbing as the leading cause.
- Fatalities were frequently associated with left-sided chest wounds and ventricular perforations.
- Hemorrhagic shock was the main mechanism of death, and many victims died before hospital arrival.
Background:
Patients with blunt or penetrating cardiac injury usually present with cardiac tamponade and hemorrhagic shock upon hospital arrival. Many victims die before they reach hospital. In this study, we present a detailed analysis of hemopericardium-related fatalities.
Methods:
We retrospectively reviewed the medicolegal autopsy records of hemopericardium-related fatalities that occurred from 1994 to 2003. The parameters investigated were demographic characteristics, hospitalization before death, the cause of death, the manner of death, the mechanism of death, the location of the entrance wound, the number of wounds reaching the target and the site of target perforation.
Results:
Seven women (mean age: 45 +/- 23 years) and 33 men (mean age: 34 +/- 12 years) were included in the study. Only 5 patients (12.5%) with cardiac activity reached the hospital. Twenty individuals (50%) were victims of stabbings, which was the most common cause of death. The most commonly encountered manner of death was homicide (79%). Thirty-one (77.5%) victims died of hemorrhagic shock and 9 (22.5%) of cardiac tamponade. Entrance wounds were frequently located on the left chest (n = 26). The perforated cardiac chambers were the left atrium (n = 1), the left ventricle (n = 12), the right atrium (n = 2) and the right ventricle (n = 15). One victim had coronary artery perforation. Nine victims had perforations on the intrapericardial part of the aorta.
Conclusions:
In our series, the hemopericardium-related deaths occurred predominantly in men. Stabbing was the most common cause of death. Entrance wounds were most commonly located on the left chest, and perforated sites were ventricles. Death at the scene was also frequent, and the mechanism of death was hemorrhagic shock.