Journal List > Korean J Leg Med > v.42(4) > 1108843

Na and Park: Analysis of the Absorbance Pattern of Postmortem Blood Sample Using Spectrometer

Abstract

The diagnosis of cause of death (COD) or estimation of postmortem interval (PMI) is hard to perform using postmortem blood or other bodily fluids due to various biochemical changes that occur during the agonal phase or after death. To solve these problems, new paradigms and new analytical methods are needed. In this study, postmortem blood was fractionated with specific gravity 1.021, 1.029, 1.038, and 1.045, and the absorbance patterns of each sample of the 131 total cases (12 kinds of COD) were analyzed using a spectrometer. The absorbance was grouped into 9 patterns (ABS pattern 1 to 9) according to the wave length and the signal intensity. These patterns of postmortem blood were found to be distinctly different from the absorbance pattern of fresh blood. The analysis of ABS patterns is useful for the diagnosis of deaths due to acute or rapid bleeding, fire death, drowning and, in some cases, poisoning, but is not useful for the estimation of PMI.

Figures and Tables

Fig. 1

Diagram of spectrometric analysis of postmortem blood. A, absorbance; T, transmittance; R, reflectance.

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Fig. 2

Low level of absorbance signal in fresh blood fractionated with specific gravity 1.029.

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Fig. 3

Low level of absorbance signal in fresh blood fractionated with specific gravity 1.038.

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Fig. 4

Absorbance spectrum of ABS 1 is below 500 nm and the peak is less than 1.0 (5×, SG 1.021; 7.5×, SG 1.029; 10×, SG 1.038; 12.5×, SG 1.045).

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Fig. 5

Absorbance spectrum of ABS 2 is below 500 nm and the peak is more than 1.0 (5×, SG 1.021; 7.5×, SG 1.029; 10×, SG 1.038; 12.5×, SG 1.045).

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Fig. 6

Absorbance spectrum of ABS 3 is slightly over 500 nm and the peak is less than 1.0 (5×, SG 1.021; 7.5×, SG 1.029; 10×, SG 1.038; 12.5×, SG 1.045).

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Fig. 7

Absorbance spectrum of ABS 4 is slightly over 500 nm and the peak is more than 1.0 (5×, SG 1.021; 7.5×, SG 1.029; 10×, SG 1.038; 12.5×, SG 1.045).

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Fig. 8

Absorbance spectrum of ABS 5 is slightly over 500 nm and the peak is more than 1.5 (5×, SG 1.021; 7.5×, SG 1.029; 10×, SG 1.038; 12.5×, SG 1.045).

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Fig. 9

Absorbance spectrum of ABS 6 is below 550 nm (5×, SG 1.021; 7.5×, SG 1.029; 10×, SG 1.038; 12.5×. SG 1.045).

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Fig. 10

Absorbance spectrum of ABS 7 is below 600 nm (5×, SG 1.021; 7.5×, SG 1.029; 10×, SG 1.038; 12.5×, SG 1.045).

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Fig. 11

Absorbance spectrum of ABS 8 is below 600 nm and new peak is in 550 nm (5×, SG 1.021; 7.5×, SG 1.029; 10×, SG 1.038; 12.5×, SG 1.045).

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Fig. 12

Absorbance spectrum of ABS pattern 9 is over 650 nm and peak show plateau(5×, SG 1.021; 7.5×, SG 1.029; 10×, SG 1.038; 12.5×, SG 1.045).

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Table 1

Relationship between the ABS pattern of postmortem blood samples and causes of death

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Values are presented as number (%).

ABS, absorbance; IHD, ischemic heart disease; CMP, cardiomyopathy; SCA, sudden cardiac arrest; nt, nontraumatic; ICH, intracerebral hemorrhage; SAH, subarachnoid hemorrhage; t, traumatic; SDH, subdural hemorrhage; RDA, rupture of dissecting aneurysm of aorta.

Table 2

Relationship between the ABS pattern of postmortem blood samples and BMI, PMI, coronary artery disease, and blood alcohol concentration in the individuals who died of ischemic heart disease

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ABS, absorbance; BMI, body mass index; PMI, postmortem interval; LAD, left anterior descending coronary artery; RCA, right coronary artery; LCX, left circumflex coronary artery; Bridging*, ischemic heart disease due to intramuscular coronary artery.

Table 3

Relationship between the ABS pattern of postmortem blood samples and BMI, PMI, coronary artery disease, and blood alcohol concentration in the individuals who died of cardiomyopathy

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ABS, absorbance; BMI, body mass index; PMI, postmortem interval; LAD, left anterior descending coronary artery.

Table 4

Relationship between the ABS pattern of postmortem blood samples and BMI, PMI, coronary artery disease, and blood alcohol concentration in the individuals who died of sudden cardiac

kjlm-42-126-i004

ABS, absorbance; BMI, body mass index; PMI, postmortem interval.

Table 5

Relationship between the ABS pattern of postmortem blood samples and BMI, PMI, coronary artery disease, and blood alcohol concentration in the individuals who died of intracranial hemorrhage

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ABS, absorbance; BMI, body mass index; PMI, postmortem interval; nt, nontraumatic; ICH, intracerebral hemorrhage; SAH, subarachnoid hemorrhage; LAD, left anterior descending coronary artery; AV, arteriovenous; t, traumatic; RCA, right coronary artery; SDH, subdural hemorrhage.

Table 6

Relationship between the ABS pattern of postmortem blood samples and BMI, PMI, coronary artery disease, and blood alcohol concentration in the individuals who died of aortic aneurysm (or aortic dissection)

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ABS, absorbance; BMI, body mass index; PMI, postmortem interval; RDA, rupture of dissecting aneurysm of aorta; LAD, left anterior descending coronary artery; LCX, left circumflex coronary artery; RCA, right coronary artery.

Table 7

Relationship between the ABS pattern of postmortem blood samples and BMI, PMI, coronary artery disease, and blood alcohol concentration in the individuals who died of asphyxia

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ABS, absorbance; BMI, body mass index; PMI, postmortem interval; LAD, left anterior descending coronary artery.

Table 8

Relationship between the ABS pattern of postmortem blood samples and BMI, PMI, coronary artery disease, and blood alcohol concentration in the individuals who died of drowning

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ABS, absorbance; BMI, body mass index; PMI, postmortem interval; LAD, left anterior descending coronary artery.

Table 9

Relationship between the ABS pattern of postmortem blood samples and BMI, PMI, coronary artery disease, and blood alcohol concentration in the individuals who died of poisoning

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ABS, absorbance; BMI, body mass index; PMI, postmortem interval; AAI, acute alcohol intoxication; CAI, chronic alcohol intoxication; LAD, left anterior descending coronary artery; CO-Hb, carboxyhaemoglobin; ACMP, alcoholic cardiomyopathy.

Table 10

Relationship between the ABS pattern of postmortem blood samples and BMI, PMI, coronary artery disease, and blood alcohol concentration in the fire death

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ABS, absorbance; BMI, body mass index; PMI, postmortem interval; CO-Hb, carboxyhaemoglobin; CMP, cardiomyopathy; LAD, left anterior descending coronary artery; PE, pulmonary edema.

Table 11

Relationship between the ABS pattern of postmortem blood samples and BMI, PMI, coronary artery disease, and blood alcohol concentration in the individuals who died of infection

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ABS, absorbance; BMI, body mass index; PMI, postmortem interval; RCA, right coronary artery; LAD, left anterior descending coronary artery; TB, Tuberculosis; LCX, left circumflex coronary artery.

Table 12

Relationship between the ABS pattern of postmortem blood samples and BMI, PMI, coronary artery disease, and blood alcohol concentration in the individuals with other cause of death

kjlm-42-126-i012

ABS, absorbance; BMI, body mass index; PMI, postmortem interval; LAD, left anterior descending coronary artery; DM, diabetes mellitus; CRF, chronic renal failure; CMP, cardiomyopathy; HCC, hepatocellular carcinoma; LCX, left circumflex coronary artery.

Acknowledgments

This work was supported by National Forensic Service (NFS2014MED05 and NFS2015MED06), Ministry of the Interior and Safety, Republic of Korea.

Notes

Conflicts of Interest No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

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TOOLS
ORCID iDs

Joo-Young Na
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1138-433X

Jong-Tae Park
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3192-7557

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