Drowning: prevalence of external and internal signs in necropsy

Abstract

Introduction: Around the world the deaths due droning has a transcendental issue due to the number of deaths that occur, becoming a public health problem, the characteristics of the victim due to submergence, they vary between countries. Ecuador has diverse geographical regions that make each one of them present specific characteristics of the fatal victims, since a characterization of them was conducted. In the sierra region, agriculture predominates as an economic activity, which is why there are multiple reservoirs, ponds, ditches, irrigation channels in the region, added to the water basins that pass through this geographical area, which constitute a risk factor for this population. Objectives: To evaluate the presentation of external and internal signs of mechanical asphyxia by submersion described in the classical literature, affecting to determine their relationship of dependence or independence among themselves, contrasting them with their pathophysiology. Results and analysis: Cyanosis appeared in 100% of the cases, petechiae in 95.5% of the cases, foam fungus 45.5%, palmar maceration 38.6%, liquid in the respiratory tract 93.2%, Niles sign in 38.6% Vargas sign 6.8% Alvarado vital injuries in 52.3%, postmortem injuries in 4.4%. Conclusions: The highest percentage of corpses presented general signs of asphyxia in their external and internal inspect in the medico-legal autopsy.