La tanatoquimia diagnóstico complementario en la examinación de cadáveres para la determinación de su causa y data de muerte

Abstract

Thanatochemistry is a fundamental part of postmortem body fluid analysis. Our objective was to analyze the use of thanatochemistry through postmortem biochemical techniques in the diagnosis of corpses to determine the cause and date of death. Reliable samples for determining the date of death are the vitreous humor, cerebrospinal fluid and synovial fluid, since due to their anatomical location they are not exposed to microbial contamination such as blood or urine. Potassium is the most studied analyte in the various postmortem samples. In several studies it is mentioned that it is the ideal one to establish the postmortem interval, it is also the preferred one for the determination of cronotanatodiagnosis because during 31 autopsies it was verified that the levels of potassium in the vitreous humor increase from the moment of death until 125 hours later. . The most relevant postmortem biochemical techniques are GC-EM, LC-EM, CCF, Uv-Vis spectroscopy, RAMAN spectroscopy and ion-selective electrons, the latter being the ideal one compared to the other techniques to measure the concentration of potassium in humor vitreous, according to Victoria Wiggins explains that the electrical potential handled by this technique is clearly proportional to the concentration of ions, so determining the interval of death is more convincing. To determine the cause of death, HV and CSF are the preferred samples to analyze, as well as the ketone body test that is associated with hyperglycemia and diabetic ketoacidosis, respectively.