Estimation of the time since death: post-mortem contractions of human skeletal muscles following mechanical stimulation (idiomuscular contraction).
Standard
Estimation of the time since death: post-mortem contractions of human skeletal muscles following mechanical stimulation (idiomuscular contraction). / Warther, Sophie; Sehner, Susanne; Raupach, Tobias; Püschel, Klaus; Anders, Sven.
in: INT J LEGAL MED, Jahrgang 126, Nr. 3, 3, 2012, S. 399-405.Publikationen: SCORING: Beitrag in Fachzeitschrift/Zeitung › SCORING: Zeitschriftenaufsatz › Forschung › Begutachtung
Harvard
APA
Vancouver
Bibtex
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
T1 - Estimation of the time since death: post-mortem contractions of human skeletal muscles following mechanical stimulation (idiomuscular contraction).
AU - Warther, Sophie
AU - Sehner, Susanne
AU - Raupach, Tobias
AU - Püschel, Klaus
AU - Anders, Sven
PY - 2012
Y1 - 2012
N2 - The mechanically stimulated idiomuscular contraction of skeletal muscles is part of the widely used compound method for death time estimation and therefore represents an item of high relevance and practicability in forensic case work. However, data on the topic are scarce and inconsistent and the currently reported maximum time span for the occurrence of the phenomenon until 13 h post-mortem (hpm) is based on a single case report from the beginning of the twentieth century. Therefore, idiomuscular contraction following mechanical stimulation has been investigated in skeletal muscles of 270 cases with assured time of death at defined post-mortem time points between 7 and 15 hpm. Of all investigated cases, 45 (16.7%) showed a positive reaction with a preponderance of cases of sudden death. Our investigations confirmed the upper time limit of 13 hpm up until idiomuscular contraction could be stimulated. With every hour of the post-mortem interval, a 0.61-fold decrease of the phenomenon's occurrence was observed (95%CI, 0.52-0.72; p?<?0.001). Furthermore, several parameters showed significant correlations with the likelihood of the phenomenon's occurrence, namely stimulation of upper arm as opposed to the thigh (p?<?0.001), gender (p?=?0.017), and BMI (p?<?0.001). These findings for the first time give reliable evidence of a post-mortem time limit of mechanically stimulated idiomuscular contraction and therefore contribute to the future application of the method in forensic case work.
AB - The mechanically stimulated idiomuscular contraction of skeletal muscles is part of the widely used compound method for death time estimation and therefore represents an item of high relevance and practicability in forensic case work. However, data on the topic are scarce and inconsistent and the currently reported maximum time span for the occurrence of the phenomenon until 13 h post-mortem (hpm) is based on a single case report from the beginning of the twentieth century. Therefore, idiomuscular contraction following mechanical stimulation has been investigated in skeletal muscles of 270 cases with assured time of death at defined post-mortem time points between 7 and 15 hpm. Of all investigated cases, 45 (16.7%) showed a positive reaction with a preponderance of cases of sudden death. Our investigations confirmed the upper time limit of 13 hpm up until idiomuscular contraction could be stimulated. With every hour of the post-mortem interval, a 0.61-fold decrease of the phenomenon's occurrence was observed (95%CI, 0.52-0.72; p?<?0.001). Furthermore, several parameters showed significant correlations with the likelihood of the phenomenon's occurrence, namely stimulation of upper arm as opposed to the thigh (p?<?0.001), gender (p?=?0.017), and BMI (p?<?0.001). These findings for the first time give reliable evidence of a post-mortem time limit of mechanically stimulated idiomuscular contraction and therefore contribute to the future application of the method in forensic case work.
KW - Adult
KW - Humans
KW - Male
KW - Aged
KW - Female
KW - Middle Aged
KW - Aged, 80 and over
KW - Young Adult
KW - Sex Factors
KW - Body Mass Index
KW - Time Factors
KW - Likelihood Functions
KW - Forensic Pathology
KW - Postmortem Changes
KW - Muscle Contraction/physiology
KW - Muscle, Skeletal/physiology
KW - Physical Stimulation
KW - Thigh
KW - Upper Extremity
KW - Adult
KW - Humans
KW - Male
KW - Aged
KW - Female
KW - Middle Aged
KW - Aged, 80 and over
KW - Young Adult
KW - Sex Factors
KW - Body Mass Index
KW - Time Factors
KW - Likelihood Functions
KW - Forensic Pathology
KW - Postmortem Changes
KW - Muscle Contraction/physiology
KW - Muscle, Skeletal/physiology
KW - Physical Stimulation
KW - Thigh
KW - Upper Extremity
M3 - SCORING: Journal article
VL - 126
SP - 399
EP - 405
JO - INT J LEGAL MED
JF - INT J LEGAL MED
SN - 0937-9827
IS - 3
M1 - 3
ER -
