Aortic intimal staining in drowning

Excerpt

Case 1: The body of an 85-year-old man was recovered from within a submerged vehicle that he had accidentally driven into a swimming pool. At autopsy, there was no evidence of decomposition with signs of immersion including “washerwoman” hands and feet (Figs. 1, 2), marked pulmonary congestion and edema (Fig. 3) and prominent differential staining of the aortic trunk compared to the pulmonary outflow tract (Fig. 4). In addition there was significant atherosclerotic narrowing of the left anterior descending coronary artery. No injuries were noted, toxicology was negative, and no other underlying organic diseases were present which could have caused or contributed to death. Death was due to freshwater drowning complicating ischemic heart disease.

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