Double logarithmic, linear relationship between plasma chloride concentration and time since death in humans in Chandigarh Zone of North-West India

Received 22 February 2002; received in revised form 30 May 2002; accepted 1 August 2002.

Abstract

Estimation of time since death with the change in chloride concentration in postmortem blood is the topic of discussion in the study. Querido (Forensic Sci Int 45 (1990) 117) had demonstrated a highly significant double logarithmic linear relationship between the plasma chloride concentration and postmortem interval in Wistar rats. Henceforth, the present study was carried out to substantiate this propensity in humans. Chloride concentration in postmortem blood of 474 subjects revealed a highly significant relationship between logarithm of plasma chloride concentration and logarithm of the time since death during 3–58 h of death. Notwithstanding, time since death can be predicted from plasma chloride concentration with standard error of estimate of 2.1 h but factors like environmental temperature, cause of death, age and gender influences it significantly.

Keywords: Time since death, Postmortem interval, Plasma chloride concentration, Double logarithmic relationship

a Department of Forensic Medicine, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, India

b Department of Biochemistry, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education, and Research, Chandigarh, India

c Department of Statistics, Panjab University, Chandigarh, India

Corresponding author. Tel.: +91-172-700-181/706-041; fax: +91-172-744-401/745-078

PII: S1344-6223(02)00056-1

3 of 13