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01-11-2010 | Original Article

Immunohistochemical identification of prevalent right ventricular ischemia causing right heart failure in cases of pulmonary fat embolism

Authors: Tony Fracasso, Bernd Karger, Heidi Pfeiffer, Cristina Sauerland, Andreas Schmeling

Published in: International Journal of Legal Medicine | Issue 6/2010

Abstract

Pulmonary fat embolism is a life-threatening event that may result to potentially determining right ventricular failure. Even if the pathophysiology of this phenomenon has been widely investigated, no immunohistochemical demonstration of right ventricular failure following pulmonary fat embolism has been reported till now. We performed an immunohistochemical investigation with the markers fibronectin and C5b-9 in 21 cases of polytrauma with bone fractures (study group—nine females and 12 males; mean age 64.6 years) compared to a control group of 21 forensic cases with various causes of death (nine females and 12 males; mean age 68.6 years). In each case at least one tissue slide from both cardiac ventricles (free wall of the right ventricle, anterior and/or posterior wall of the left ventricle) was available. The reactions were semi-quantitatively classified, and the two groups were compared. In the study group, the occurrence of ischemic changes at the right ventricle was significantly higher than in controls. The determining aspect, however, seems to be the prevalent ischemic lesion at the right ventricle compared to the left one. This may indicate the primary involvement of the right ventricle, thus, demonstrating a right ventricular failure.

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Title: Immunohistochemical identification of prevalent right ventricular ischemia causing right heart failure in cases of pulmonary fat embolism
Authors: Tony Fracasso
Bernd Karger
Heidi Pfeiffer
Cristina Sauerland
Andreas Schmeling
Publication date: 01-11-2010
Publisher: Springer-Verlag
Published in: International Journal of Legal Medicine / Issue 6/2010
Print ISSN: 0937-9827
Electronic ISSN: 1437-1596
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00414-009-0382-3

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Immunohistochemical identification of prevalent right ventricular ischemia causing right heart failure in cases of pulmonary fat embolism

Abstract

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Abstract

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