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Positive identification of a severely burnt body using multiple orthopedic implants

Positive Identifizierung eines schwer verbrannten Körpers mithilfe mehrerer orthopädischer Implantate

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Abstract

We report a case in which positive personal identification was obtained utilizing serial numbers of multiple orthopedic devices implanted in a highly charred body. We were able to conduct the identification easily and conveniently, as this method did not require any additional devices or sample preparation.

Zusammenfassung

Wir berichten über einen Fall, in dem eine positive Personenidentifizierung anhand der Seriennummern mehrerer orthopädischer Geräte, die in einem stark verkohlten Körper implantiert waren, durchgeführt wurde. Da diese Methode keine zusätzlichen Geräte oder Probenvorbereitung erforderte, konnte die Identifizierung einfach und bequem erfolgen.

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Funding

This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Forensic Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Kagawa University, 1750-1, Miki, Kita, 761-0793, Kagawa, Japan

    Sella Takei MD, Mostofa Jamal, Tadayoshi Yamashita, Etsuko Tanaka, Sachiko Kawahara, Shoji Kimura & Hiroshi Kinoshita

Authors
  1. Sella Takei MD
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  2. Mostofa Jamal
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  3. Tadayoshi Yamashita
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  4. Etsuko Tanaka
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  5. Sachiko Kawahara
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  6. Shoji Kimura
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  7. Hiroshi Kinoshita
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Contributions

Sella Takei and Hiroshi Kinoshita conducted the autopsy of this case, while Tadayoshi Yamashita and Sachiko Kawahara did sample collection and sample preservation. Mostofa Jamal and Etsuko Tanaka carried out the examination during autopsy, including the measurement of carboxyhemoglobin levels. Shoji Kimura contributed to the interpretation of the results and gave critical evaluation. Sella Takei drafted the original manuscript, which Hiroshi Kinoshita revised. All authors contributed to the final text and approved it.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Sella Takei MD.

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Conflict of interest

S. Takei, M. Jamal, T. Yamashita, E. Tanaka, S. Kawahara, S. Kimura and H. Kinoshita declare that they have no competing interests.

The studies were performed in accordance with the guidelines of the local central ethics committee.

Additional information

Data availability

Data sharing is not applicable to this article as no datasets were generated or analyzed during this case investigation.

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Takei, S., Jamal, M., Yamashita, T. et al. Positive identification of a severely burnt body using multiple orthopedic implants. Rechtsmedizin 33, 215–217 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00194-022-00613-w

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00194-022-00613-w

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