The origin, distribution and relocability of supravital hemorrhages

Overview

The hemorrhage as a result of intravital bleeding is considered, from forensic point of view, as important sign of vital reaction of injury. However, in special cases it must be accepted that hemorrhage occurred after the death. The formation of supravital changes is evident e.g. in organ donors whose blood circulation and pulmonary ventilation is kept after the brain death. The post-mortem origin of hemorrhages can also be seen in donors of eyeballs after enucleation made before the autopsy at Institute of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology. These hemorrhages are manifested after several hours when eyeballs were removed.

Moreover, we observed the origin of hemorrhage in orbit which was caused nor by intravital bleeding neither by direct force. Its origin could not be explained nothing but postmortem propagation of the hemorrhage from the fracture of anterior fossa of the scull base. We did not find information about postmortem origin or relocation of hemorrhage of such extent in the literature. In the frame of knowledge about supravital reaction, this finding is of general importance with forensic impact. The documentation from the scene of death allowed correcting the appreciation of the mechanism of injury and traumatic process from the point of view of foreign culpability which should be considered in such case (e.g. a blow to the orbit with following fall under passing subway train).

Keywords:
vital and supravital reaction – postmortal hematoma propagation – forensic value