A Cross-Sectional Study of Histopathological and Chemical Analysis of Various Organs in Cases of Poisoning at Tertiary Care Centre of South Gujarat Region

AbstractIntroductionIn most instances of fatalities resulting from poisoning, the determination of the cause of death is postponed until the viscera provide evidence of poisoning. Consequently, court proceedings, death certificates, and insurance claims filed by the relatives of the deceased remain unresolved. Death may occur immediately following the ingestion of poison or may be delayed for several days or even weeks, during which time the poisoning may not be the direct cause of death, as it could result from some distant intervening factor. In such situations, accurately identifying the cause of death can be challenging, as external appearances may not offer any clues, and internal examinations may only reveal visceral congestion. Therefore, histopathological findings are essential for studying organ pathology, where the poison has acted, been absorbed, and eliminated.AimTo conclude the cause of death, a pathological examination of the organs was conducted for individuals who died from poisoning or were suspected cases of poisoning.Materials & MethodA total of 90 cases were collected for examination. In all 90 confirmed cases of poisoning, routine viscera were collected for chemical analysis and histopathological examination during post-mortem examination (PME). After receiving the reports, the results were analyzed.ResultAmong the cases examined, 71% (n=64) were male and 29% ((n=26) were female. Approximately 40% (n=33) of the cases had a history of insecticide ingestion, followed by corrosive substances and unknown materials. Of these, 90% (n=83) were classified as suicidal cases, while 10% (n=7) were deemed accidental. Notable histopathological findings were identified in various organs during the histopathological examination. In stomach mucosal necrosis, thrombosis in vessel, inflammatory infiltrate and sub-mucosal haemorrhage are observed in 50% (n=43) cases and mucosal ulceration with congestion was observed in 40% cases (n=42) while in lungs about 91.11% (n=82) cases shows pulmonary edema and pneumonia, inflammatory infiltrate in interstitial lung tissue while congestion was observed in 8.90% (n=8) cases. Fatty changes, hepatocyte degeneration and inflammatory infiltrate was observed in 46.7% (n=42) cases rest shows mix appearance of congestion, centrilobular necrosis and sinusoidal dilatation and in 7.0% (n=6) cases no abnormalities was observed. In kidneys, glomerulosclerosis and inflammatory infiltrate was observed in 30% (n=33) cases while rest showed congestion, in one case there was no changes observed.