About the journal

Cobiss

Srpski arhiv za celokupno lekarstvo 2018 Volume 146, Issue 7-8, Pages: 428-432
https://doi.org/10.2298/SARH170802182A
Full text ( 164 KB)


The value of the post mortem analysis of carboxyhemoglobin concentration in the blood: A 15-year study

Atanasijević Tatjana (Institute of Forensic Medicine „Milovan MIlovanović", School of Medicine, Belgrade)
Popović Vesna (Institute of Forensic Medicine „Milovan MIlovanović", School of Medicine, Belgrade)
Puzović Dragana (School of Stomatology, Institute of Forensic Dentistry, Belgrade)
Milicić Biljana ORCID iD icon (School of Stomatology, Department of Statistics and Informatics, Belgrade)
Mihailović Zoran (Institute of Forensic Medicine „Milovan Milovanović", School of Medicine, Belgrade)

Introduction/Objective. The purpose of this retrospective study was to assess carboxyhemoglobin (HbCO) concentration in all autopsy cases of fire and non-fire victims – all those who have been suspected to be under the influence of carbon monoxide (CO) in the Belgrade area during a 15-year period (1990–2005). Methods. Correlations between the concentration of HbCO, circumstances of death, vital signs, and prior health conditions, smoking and history of alcohol-abuse, have been particularly analyzed in 192 autopsy cases. Results. The investigation included 52 (27%) females and 140 (73%) males, their average age being 50.78 years. CO poisoning has been established as the cause of death in 74 cases (38%). The manner of death in 170 cases (89%) was an accident, in eight (3%) suicide, in two (1%) murder, in 11 (6%) natural death, and in one case the manner of death hasn’t been established. Such distribution of the manner of death differentiates this study from others of similar type, and it is conditioned by the specificity of life in this region. Conclusion. The predictors of a high HbCO concentration are the sex, cause of death, manner of death, soot aspiration, lower-degree burns. According to the results, we profiled a typical victim of CO poisoning.

Keywords: carbon-monoxide, forensic medicine, epidemiology, HbCO concentration