Abstract
Cause of Death in Carbonized Children: What is The Role of Carboxyhemoglobin?
Highlights
The World Health Organization estimated that 265,000 deaths occurred every year caused by burns1
Objectives: determination of the cause of death, that is whether the death was due to the effects of the burns suffered by the victim, or if the death was the result of inhaling a lethal dose carbon monoxide
Of the 16 children, 10 (62.5%) died with COHb concentrations below 50% and 6 (37.5%) had COHb concentrations greater than 50%
Summary
The World Health Organization estimated that 265,000 deaths occurred every year caused by burns. To determine the cause of death it must first be established whether the victim was alive at the time of the fire and what caused the death, insofar as burning the body may be an attempt to hide the traces of the real cause of death, as in homicides by firearms or the use of blunt instruments. At this point, two things are important and relevant as evidence that the person was alive at the time of the fire: soot lining the airways (Montalti sign) and an elevated blood carboxyhemoglobin saturation
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