Pulmonary fat embolism--a prospective study within the forensic autopsy collective of the Republic of Iceland

• Published in: Journal of Forensic Sciences
• Main Authors: Voisard, Matthias X, Schweitzer, Wolf, Jackowski, Christian
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Wiley-Blackwell 2012
• Subjects: Institute of Legal Medicine; 340 Law; 610 Medicine & health; Republic of Iceland; Iceland
• Online Access: https://www.zora.uzh.ch/id/eprint/84231/; https://www.zora.uzh.ch/84231; https://doi.org/10.1111/1556-4029.12003

In the last century, studies established the origin of pulmonary fat embolism (PFE) and identified mechanical trauma as main source for PFE. This prospective study focused on determining a possible influence of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), in the context of an aging population, on the occurrence of PFE. Lung tissue samples from 256 bodies were examined using the twin-edged knife technique without preliminary fixation but after staining with Sudan III. PFE grading was determined according to Falzi and performed at a 10× magnification. For statistical analysis, bodies were grouped by age, gender, and putrefaction and categorized following whether they had experienced trauma, CPR, the combination of both, or no mechanical impact. There was a significant correlation of trauma, CPR, and the combination of both to PFE but no noticeable influence of gender or putrefaction. An age over 70 years promotes a PFE due to resuscitation.