Describe the forensic and medical findings between a freshwater drowning versus a saltwater drowning. Be specific with pathophysiology responses.
Describe the forensic and medical findings between a freshwater drowning versus a saltwater drowning
Describe the forensic and medical findings between a freshwater drowning versus a saltwater drowning.
Be specific with pathophysiology responses.
You will be require to participate in the discussion board for each week.
More Details:
The diagnostic of drowning is describe in the literature as one of the most difficult in the field of forensic medicine (Piette & De letter, 2006).
In fact, the external examination and the autopsy findings are in most of the cases not specific and the laboratory investigations are controversially appreciate by the scientific community.
In addition, the main goal in this field is to differentiate a death by submersion from a immersion of a body. Death of a victim found in water should not always be related to drowning (Knight, 1991).
It is important to remind that the death by drowning is defined as a death due to submersion in a liquid and the mechanism in acute drowning is hypoxemia and irreversible cerebral anoxia (D.J. Di Maio & V.J.M. Di Maio 1989).
Physiopathology
Considering the pathophysiology of human drowning,
the role of mechanical airways obstruction and the washing out of alveoli surfactant as well as the shifts of fluid and electrolytes are still in debate.
In fact, several phases were in description during the drowning process,
firstly a breath-holding phase, followed by involuntary inspiration, gasping for air and loss of consciousness.
Lastly, the death is secondary of the development of cerebral hypoxia leading to irreversible brain damage.
The duration of the phases is dependent on various factors, such as age, previous diseases, breath holding tolerance of the victims and the temperature of the water.
Consciousness is usually lost within 3 minutes of submersion
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