["The last doctor's visit": External post mortem during emergency medical services]

Area of Science:

• Forensic Medicine
• Medical Law

Background:

• Death declaration is a core medical responsibility.
• Accurate post-mortem examination is crucial for legal and medical purposes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To outline the essential steps and considerations for medical doctors in declaring and investigating death.
• To emphasize the importance of integrating scene investigation and patient history with physical findings.

Main Methods:

• Review of established medical and legal criteria for death declaration.
• Emphasis on external post-mortem examination, including signs of death (livores mortis, rigor mortis, putrefaction, injuries, brain death).
• Integration of death scene investigation, patient history, and medical records.

Main Results:

• Established signs of death are critical for declaration.
• External examination, combined with scene and history, aids in determining cause and manner of death.
• Specific findings like petechial hemorrhages suggest potential foul play (e.g., strangulation).

Conclusions:

• Medical doctors must master death declaration and investigation.
• A comprehensive approach, including external examination and contextual information, is necessary for accurate conclusions.
• Awareness of regional legal aspects and specific medical findings is vital.