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- Title
Postmortem serum erythropoietin levels in establishing the cause of death and survival time at medicolegal autopsy.
- Authors
L. Quan; B.-L. Zhu; T. Ishikawa; T. Michiue; D. Zhao; D.-R. Li; M. Ogawa; H. Maeda
- Abstract
Abstract  Circulating erythropoietin (EPO) is mainly produced in the kidneys, depending on blood oxygen level. The present study investigated the postmortem serum EPO levels with regard to the cause of death and survival time. Serial medicolegal autopsy cases of postmortem time within 48 h (nâ=â536) were examined. Serum EPO levels were within the clinical reference range in most cases. Uremic patients with medical administration of an EPO agent (nâ=â11) showed a markedly high level (140â4,850 mU/ml; median, 1,798 mU/ml). Otherwise, an elevation in serum EPO level (>30 mU/ml) was mainly seen in protracted deaths due to blunt injury and fire fatality, depending on the survival time (râ=â0.69, pârâ=â0.45, pâpâ>â0.05). EPO was immunohistochemically detected in the tubular epithelia and interstitial cells, showing no evident difference among the causes of death, independent of survival time or serum level. These findings suggest that serum EPO can be used as a marker for investigating anemia and/or hypoxia as a consequence of fatal insult in subacute or prolonged deaths, or a predisposition to traumatic deaths or fatal heart attacks in acute deaths.
- Subjects
SERUM; ERYTHROPOIETIN; AUTOPSY; OXYGENATORS
- Publication
International Journal of Legal Medicine, 2008, Vol 122, Issue 6, p481
- ISSN
0937-9827
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1007/s00414-008-0276-9