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Hypothermia in the home setiing - case report
Abstract:
In the present case report, the authors describe the deaths of two individuals-an 85-year-old female and her 56-year-old son - both discovered within a shared household, exhibiting advanced postmortem changes. The fatalities occurred in a confined apartment environment. The decedents had been residing under conditions of extreme environmental neglect, characterized by prolonged accumulation of domestic waste and an almost complete absence of interaction with the external community. Postmortem examinations revealed morphological indicators consistent with hypothermia, including pale postmortem lividity, frostbite lesions, and Visnevsky's spots within the gastric mucosa. The terminal causes of death in both cases were determined to be combined cardiovascular and respiratory failure secondary to hypothermia. Relevant comorbidities were identified: in the female, predominantly chronic cardiac and hepatic pathology; in the male, marked malnutrition. In both individuals, ethanol was detected in postmortem blood specimens at concentrations consistent with endogenous production during the late stages of decomposition. In both cases, different degrees of development of hypothermia-related Visnevsky spots were observed, which the authors explain by different reserve capacities of the organism.
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Step 1: Perform hand hygiene and put on clean gloves to maintain infection control and prevent cross-contamination.
Step 2: Prepare the patient by explaining the procedure to ensure understanding and cooperation. Ensure privacy, expose the axilla, and inform the patient that minimal movement is crucial for an accurate reading.
Step 3: Adjust the patient’s clothing to expose only the axilla. It minimizes...

