Korean J Leg Med.  2018 Nov;42(4):126-140. 10.7580/kjlm.2018.42.4.126.

Analysis of the Absorbance Pattern of Postmortem Blood Sample Using Spectrometer

• Na JY
• Park JT

• KMID: 2427559
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.7580/kjlm.2018.42.4.126

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.

Keyword

Spectrometry; Absorbance pattern; Cause of death; Postmortem interval

MeSH Terms

Cause of Death
Diagnosis
Drowning
Felodipine
Fires
Hemorrhage
Poisoning
Specific Gravity
Spectrum Analysis
Felodipine

Figure

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  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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