Journal List > Korean J Leg Med > v.40(3) > 1087994

Yang, Lee, Park, Lee, Yun, Park, Lee, Lee, Choi, Chung, Kim, Yoo, and Kim: The Predictive Ratios of Intoxicated Deaths by Police's Death Scene Investigation and Doctor's Death Certificates in South Korea

Abstract

Forensic autopsies were performed on 1,821 cases in 2014 and 2,024 cases in 2015 at the National Forensic Service Seoul Institute. Based on the autopsy reports, 103 cases (5.7%) in 2014 and 130 cases (6.4%) in 2015 were selected as unnatural deaths caused by fatal intoxication. The cases were divided into five groups. The first group had ethanol intoxication, the second had drug intoxication, the third had agrochemical intoxication, the fourth had cyanide intoxication, and the fifth had miscellaneous intoxications. Of the 233 cases, 202 had death certificates. Of these 202 cases, 169 (83.7%) had an undetermined manner of death (MOD); 17 (8.4%) had an unnatrual MOD and intoxication was the cause of death (COD); nine (4.5%) had an unnatural MOD, but the COD was not intoxication; seven (3.5%) had a natural MOD and disease as a COD. The predictive ratios of intoxication as a COD were compared with the death certificates and the police death scene investigation results. The death certificates and the police investigation results showed predictive ratios of 8.4% and 55.2%, respectively, for intoxication as a COD. The discrepance in these predictive ratios and relatively low predictive ratio of police investigation results mean that intoxicated deaths have been underevaluated; thus, some homicides or intentional deaths were probably missed under South Korea's death investigation system. Doctors who specialize in forensic medicine need to supervise the entire postmortem examination process and emergency blood toxicological analysis should be performed in South Korea.

REFERENCES

1.Jang JS., Jang SJ., Choi BH, et al. A statistical analysis of legal autopsies performed in Korea in 2014. Korean J Leg Med. 2015. 39:99–108.
crossref
2.Kim HG., Park JW., Cho WY, et al. The discrepancy of the cause and manner of death between death certificates and autopsy reports. Korean J Leg Med. 2014. 38:139–44.
crossref
3.Na JI., Lee YJ., Kim HS, et al. Discrepant causes of death between medical death certificates and autopsy reports (II). Korean J Leg Med. 2012. 36:27–33.
crossref
4.Na JY., Min BW., Lee YJ, et al. The discrepancy of the causes of death between medical death certificates and autopsy reports. Korean J Leg Med. 2009. 33:10–8.
5.Park JH., Kim YJ., Ham SH, et al. Forensic analysis of the cause of death and death on arrival of patients at the emergency room. Korean J Leg Med. 2013. 37:14–8.
crossref

Table 1.
Cause and manner of death in medical certificates and the police‘s recognition of intoxication
  Total Death certificate Police's recognition of intoxication
Natural death Unnatural death Unknown NS Yes No Unknown
Poison Others
Ethanol 43 1 0 0 36 6 12 26 5
Drugs 100 1 5 5 73 16 49 35 16
Agrochemicals 44 4 5 3 26 6 31 12 1
Cyanide 28 0 1 1 23 3 8 12 8
Others 18 1 6 0 11 0 12 6 0
Total 233 7 17 9 169 31 112 91 30

NS, not submitted.

Table 2.
Predictive ratio for intoxication as a cause of death
Group Death certificate (n=202) Police's recognition of intoxication (n=203)
Ethanol 0/37 (0) 12/38 (31.6)
Drugs 5/84 (6.0) 49/84 (58.3)
Agrochemicals 5/38 (13.2) 31/43 (72.1)
Cyanide 1/25 (4.0) 8/20 (40.0)
Others 6/18 (33.3) 12/18 (66.7)
Total 17/202 (8.4) 112/203 (55.2)

Values are presented as number (%).

Table 3.
Analysis of deaths diagnosed as a natural death
Cause of death (death certificate) Group Cause of death (autopsy report) Police's recognition of intoxication
Pneumonia Agrochemicals Paraquat Yes
Acute myocardial infarction Ethanol Ethanol No
Sepsis Others Nicotine solution Yes
Acute myocardial infarction Agrochemicals Carbofuran Yes
Sudden cardiac death Agrochemicals Methomyl Yes
Internal disease Drugs Doxylamine diphenhydramine Yes
Multi-organ failure Agrochemicals Methidathion Yes
Table 4.
Cause of deaths diagnosed as an unnatural death (MOD), others
Cause of death (death certificate) Group Cause of death (autopsy report) Police‘s recognition of intoxication
Hanging Agrochemicals Cyhalothrin, hanging No
Hanging Drugs Zolpidem, etc. Yes
Drowning Agrochemicals Lufenuron Yes
Drowning Agrochemicals Fenitrothion, drowning Yes
Undetermined Cyanide Cyanide Yes
CO intoxication Drugs Zolpidem, etc., CO intoxication Yes

MOD, manner of death; CO, carbon monoxide.

TOOLS
Similar articles