The Medical Examiner’s Office is called by the police to a studio apartment. The occupant of the apartment is a retired lady in her late 70s. When her family could not reach her for several days, they called law enforcement, asking officers to “check on the welfare” of their mother. Upon their arrival, officers found the drapes open, and looking in could see the body of the resident lying on the floor. Upon making entry, the officers found the heat on, and the decedent fully dressed in a blouse, pants, two pair of socks, a sweater, and coat. This they found very suspicious, since the atmospheric temperatures had been in the hundreds, with high humidity, for several days. Examination of the body at the scene revealed no external evidence of trauma. The body was transported to the Morgue for autopsy. a) What possible scenarios may account for this presentation? b) What factors might be operative that would cause the scenarios you cite in your response to Question a? c) What findings from your medicolegal death investigation would support or diminish the likelihood of the above scenarios having occurred?
The Medical Examiner’s Office is called by the police to a studio apartment. The occupant of the apartment is a retired lady in her late 70s. When her family could not reach her for several days, they called law enforcement, asking officers to “check on the welfare” of their mother. Upon their arrival, officers found the drapes open, and looking in could see the body of the resident lying on the floor. Upon making entry, the officers found the heat on, and the decedent fully dressed in a blouse, pants, two pair of socks, a sweater, and coat. This they found very suspicious, since the atmospheric temperatures had been in the hundreds, with high humidity, for several days. Examination of the body at the scene revealed no external evidence of trauma. The body was transported to the Morgue for autopsy.
- a) What possible scenarios may account for this presentation?
- b) What factors might be operative that would cause the scenarios you cite in your response to Question a?
- c) What findings from your medicolegal death investigation would support or diminish the likelihood of the above scenarios having occurred?
a) What possible scenarios may account for this presentation?
In the given scenario, it is seems to be that temperature of the room was very high that is in hundred and lady was wearing too much cloths specially in her feets. As the lady was 70 years old was residing alone in her house due to that lady would not be able to care herself. As stated in the scenario, temperature was too high so some time because of high temperature death may occurs. Reasons for death is Heat stress, in this condition there would be loss of salt and water in sweat, leads to haemoconcentration, which causes increases in coronary and cerebral thrombosis.
Elderly people are at higher risk for such type of deaths. Heat stroke occurs when the core body temperature reaches to 40.5 degree centigrade and it is a kind of medical emergency.
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