December 2012

Fatal meat aspiration: A report of three cases and review of the literature

Acute respiratory obstruction can cause sudden death, but usually the cause is obvious. The one situation that stands out in this area has been called the "cafe coronary". In adults, cafe coronary deaths occur in individuals who are either clinically inebriated or have clinically significant neuro-muscular dysfunction. In this report, we will present the sudden unexpected death of three adults that were first...

Author(s): M. Ben Dhiab, M. Jdidi, N. Ben Mansour and M. K. Souguir

December 2012

Is there a role for ethanol assay using alcohol dehydrogenase in a basic drugs and alcohol screen of blood following routine autopsies?

The external examination system of determining the cause of death as operated in Dundee, Scotland is controversial. The addition of a blood or urine specimen for drugs and alcohol processed by hospital autoanalysers will reduce error in death certification. This is even more convenient to organise with a shorter turn-around time than imaging by computed tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). These measures...

Author(s): William Tormey, and Tara Moore