Biomaterial Database

Occurrence of pulmonary fat and bone marrow embolism. 1982

D Buchanan, and J K Mason

The lungs of 136 persons dying as a result of road traffic accidents were studied retrospectively for the presence of fat and bone marrow emboli. Comparable investigations were made in 54 cases of acute myocardial failure reported to the medicolegal authorities and in 50 cases of fatal drug overdose. A further 50 cases of myocardial failure dying in hospital were studied for the presence of bone marrow embolism only. It was considered that despite occurrence of an occasional anomalous case, both fat and bone marrow emboli are related to injury but that the incidence and severity of bone marrow embolism in particular depends greatly upon the conditions of the accidental death. The occurrence of pulmonary embolic phenomena in cases of natural death was attributed to resuscitative measures rather than the underlying condition. The results indicated that the medicolegal significance attached to the findings should, by themselves, be limited to the positive identification of injuries sustained before or at the time of death in the individual case.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D007223	Infant	A child between 1 and 23 months of age.	Infants
D007231	Infant, Newborn	An infant during the first 28 days after birth.	Neonate,Newborns,Infants, Newborn,Neonates,Newborn,Newborn Infant,Newborn Infants
D008875	Middle Aged	An adult aged 45 - 64 years.	Middle Age
D011655	Pulmonary Embolism	Blocking of the PULMONARY ARTERY or one of its branches by an EMBOLUS.	Pulmonary Thromboembolism,Thromboembolism, Pulmonary,Embolism, Pulmonary,Embolisms, Pulmonary,Pulmonary Embolisms,Pulmonary Thromboembolisms,Thromboembolisms, Pulmonary
D001853	Bone Marrow	The soft tissue filling the cavities of bones. Bone marrow exists in two types, yellow and red. Yellow marrow is found in the large cavities of large bones and consists mostly of fat cells and a few primitive blood cells. Red marrow is a hematopoietic tissue and is the site of production of erythrocytes and granular leukocytes. Bone marrow is made up of a framework of connective tissue containing branching fibers with the frame being filled with marrow cells.	Marrow,Red Marrow,Yellow Marrow,Marrow, Bone,Marrow, Red,Marrow, Yellow
D002648	Child	A person 6 to 12 years of age. An individual 2 to 5 years old is CHILD, PRESCHOOL.	Children
D002675	Child, Preschool	A child between the ages of 2 and 5.	Children, Preschool,Preschool Child,Preschool Children
D004620	Embolism, Fat	Blocking of a blood vessel by fat deposits in the circulation. It is often seen after fractures of large bones or after administration of CORTICOSTEROIDS.	Fat Embolism,Fat Embolism Syndrome,Embolisms, Fat,Fat Embolisms
D005554	Forensic Medicine	The application of medical knowledge to questions of law.	Legal Medicine,Medicine, Forensic,Medicine, Legal
D006323	Heart Arrest	Cessation of heart beat or MYOCARDIAL CONTRACTION. If it is treated within a few minutes, heart arrest can be reversed in most cases to normal cardiac rhythm and effective circulation.	Asystole,Cardiac Arrest,Cardiopulmonary Arrest,Arrest, Cardiac,Arrest, Cardiopulmonary,Arrest, Heart,Asystoles