„Die letzte Visite“: Leichenschau im Notarztdienst

The declaration and investigation of death cases is a non-delegable task of medical doctors and should be mastered in the same quality as all examinations on living patients. A person is death when at least one sign of death is established (livores mortis, rigor mortis, putrefaction, injuries incompatible with life, brain death). In all other cases of unconscious patients a sufficient cardiopulmonary resuscitation should be started. If the person is declared death, an external post mortem examination has to be realized as soon as possible. Emergency doctors should be informed about the regional juridical features. The investigation of the death scene scenario, potentially known pre-existing disorders of the patients as well as medical records should be added to the findings of the body surface to conclude the most plausible cause and manner of death of the corpse. Doctors must be alarmed, when petechial bleedings are established at the face or the conjunctives, raising the suspicion of strangling forces to the neck. Internal causes of death are often invisible from the body surface, resulting in difficulties to declare the cause of death of the individual by external’s only. Injuries are most often visible and could be a hint of a crime scene scenario or external harm.