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Death due to Pulmonary Fat Embolism: Case Report
Authors: Ramazan İLHAN1, Bahadır ÖZEN2, Cemil BEDER3, Oğuzhan ÖĞÜT1, Celal BÜTÜN1, Sulhattin ARSLAN4, Fatma YÜCEL BEYAZTAŞ1
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Fat embolism, generally serious trauma or surgery
later, is to pass to the systemic circulation of the oil
droplets released from the bone marrow or the soft tissues.
It is developed after long bone fractures in the young, but
also after hip fracture in the elderly. The clinical table
occurred usually 24-48 hours after trauma may be such as
light or can progress to respiratory failure and also death.
In this case, the 84-year-old woman has been admitted to
the hospital due to the traffic accident with complaint
pains in the left arm and the left pelvic area. On orthopedic
consultation, she was made the close reduction because of
the left shoulder dislocation, the left supracondylar
humerus fracture and the left ramus pubic fracture, and
then, she was discharged to her house. She was reported as
“dead” at the house after about three hours from accident.
In autopsy of forensic case regarded as suspicious death, it
was seen the hemorrhagic featured liquid out on the lung
sections, the left shoulder dislocation, the left
supracondylar humerus fracture and the left ramus pubic deplase fracture. In the postmortem histopathological
examination, it was determined the stage IV of fat
embolism in the interstitial capillary lumens in the lungs
and the common bone marrow embolism in the mediumsized
pulmonary vascular. According to the story of the
event, the contents of the medical records, and the
macroscopic-histopathological examination findings
during autopsy; the death of the case occurred as a result
of fat embolism in the lung together with extremity
fractures depending on the general body trauma after the
traffic accident.
After post-traumatic bone fractures, early fixation and
immobilization of the fractures is important to prevent the
formation of fat embolism. Being careful follow-up and
treatment of the cases is important in terms of prevention
of the medical practice. Also, in the cases, the broken
bones in the accident identified and evaluated as
suspicious death; the contribution of the autopsy and the
postmortem histopathological examination is clear on
determining the diagnose.
Key Words: Fat embolism, trauma, forensic
medicine, autopsy, suspicious death.
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