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Biomedical subjects

D Wyler

Publications and source records attributed to D Wyler.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2005

[Examination of victims of sexual violence--the problem of false reports].

Some people claim to be victims of sexual violence and abuse the judicial system by filing a false police report. Generally, motivation for such behaviour is assumed to be that the self-proclaimed victims try to avoid taking responsibility for a sexual act in which they have been an active, willing participant. Concise motivations include attempts to mask a sexual affair from a partner, or to mask a first sexual intercourse by pretending to be the victim of an act of violence. By the nature of many judicial systems that are abused for such purposes, clinical forensic specialists are confronted with such cases far more often than clinical doctors not serving judicial authorities. In adults, history, injuries and other findings often show patterns that can be recognized as evidence of deception or as signs for self-inflicted injury for the trained specialist. This is far less often the case in infants and children.

Crime Victims↗
PubMed2002

Determination of firing distance using the rhodizonate staining technique.

The histological staining technique using rhodizonate is also effective for the determination of the firing distance by examining the distribution and intensity of the staining reaction. The differentiation between absolute close-range shots and long-range shots is generally possible without any doubt. The method is not recommended for routine examinations but it is very useful for cases lacking the possibility to investigate smoke and powder deposits in a criminalistic manner, i.e. surgical skin biopsies of hospitalised victims and skin highly altered by the effects of fire, water or by post-mortem decomposition.

Coloring Agents↗
PubMed2001

Temperature variations in automobiles in various weather conditions. An experimental contribution to the determination of time of death.

From January 1995 through March 2000, temperatures in the passenger compartment of automobiles of different sizes were measured under varying weather conditions (sunshine, cloudy skies, rain) at two locations in eastern Switzerland. During the cold season, the interior temperature rose to 21 degrees C when cars were exposed to sunshine, whereas in summer interior temperature extremes of up to 89 degrees C were recorded. Make, model, and color of the vehicles were of only minor influence.

Automobiles↗
PubMed2000

Diatom detection in the diagnosis of death by drowning.

A medicolegal/algological collaboration lasting several years aimed at developing methods for dealing with dead bodies found in water where the circumstances are not clear, has led to an interdisciplinary procedure. To enable algological analysis, sample preservation and preparation must be free from contamination or carry-over at the beginning of the autopsy, although it should be noted that the demands on the digestion method are very high. One or more water samples from the site of drowning (from surface and bed) should be taken. Microscopic-algological analysis should record quantitative (diatom density), qualitative (species) and morphological (description of diatom valves) details for every sample. Furthermore, the species index and dominance identity similarity indices are calculated during the analysis procedure. The algological conclusions are based primarily on the separation values of Kater as well as on pair-matching. The final report is the result of interdisciplinary collaboration.

Autopsy↗
PubMed1998

Fatal cardiac tamponade associated with posterior spinal instrumentation. A case report.

STUDY DESIGN: Case report of a fatal complication of pedicle screw instrumentation and review of the literature. OBJECTIVE: To describe the clinical and postmortem findings in a 35-year-old man who sustained a T11 burst fracture that was managed by transpedicular posterior instrumentation and who died 12 days after surgery of cardiac tamponade caused by a prick injury of the right coronary artery. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: Posterior pedicle screw instrumentation is considered a safe and effective method for stabilizing a spinal motion segment. Nevertheless, there are several rare but significant complications that may occur. This is the first report of a heart tamponade after transpedicular screw insertion. METHODS: A 35-year-old man was treated for a T11 burst fracture with posterior transpedicular stabilization. The surgery was uncomplicated. RESULTS: Twelve days after the intervention, the patient died of cardiogenic shock. Postmortem examination showed a heart tamponade of 350 mL blood originating in a prick injury of the right coronary artery. Histologic findings showed evidence that the injury was caused during surgery by a Kirschner wire. CONCLUSION: There are numerous possible intraoperative complications in posterior pedicle screw fixation, such as nerve root and spinal cord injuries. This case of a fatal heart tamponade after transpedicular screw insertion is rare. It shows that the surgeon must be aware of potential risks associated with such a procedure and have a comprehensive three-dimensional understanding of the anatomic structures involved.

Adult↗
PubMed1997

[Medical function in case of death: a final service to the patient and a key factor in legal safeguard].

The final service a doctor gives to his patients is to confirm death and to comfort the relatives. The unequivocal confirmation of death can, with complete justification, be considered the most important diagnosis so that it must be reached with every precaution. Apart from special conditions in intensive care units, where the guidelines of the Swiss Academy of Medical Sciences have to be followed with a view to using organs for transplantation, for example, the presence of reliable signs of death must absolutely be confirmed. The doctor who confirms death plays a key role in detecting so-called unusual deaths which require notification even in "clear", non-suspicious circumstances. This also applies to late deaths in hospital after an accident or other violence, where the clarification of the causal connection between this event and death is of decisive relevance. The detection or unequivocal exclusion of an outside influence in the death thus depend on the quality of the medical post-mortem examination and compliance with the duty of notification. The additional tasks falling to a doctor when he undertakes a legal inspection at the request of the examining authority in the case of an unusual death are discussed here only in passing. These tasks presuppose that the doctor has appropriate experience, which is why only official or district physicians from named institutions are accepted from the legal and forensic points of view in some Cantons.

Autopsy↗
PubMed1997

[Medical examination of sexual assault victims].

Two vital tasks have to be taken into account in the examination of a victim and, if necessary, of one or more suspects also: Firstly, medical evidence must be reliably obtained, and secondly, the knowledge based on the findings obtained must, as soon as the victim has decided to notify the police, be interpreted in an expert form so that apart from explaining the criminal matters to an examining judge, i.e. a medical layman, it allows a legal assessment of the incident. Doctors in general practice and working in hospitals may occasionally be entrusted with the examination of sexual assault victims. As a rule, a forensic examination is only performed if a victim has notified the police and this examination and opinion are requested by the police or court. The most pressing medical task in such examinations is to confirm the assault and to undertake correct documentation and exhibition of biological traces. As has been shown by regular questioning of doctors, there is considerable uncertainty concerning the nature and method of correct documentation of the findings as well as the techniques for preparing exhibits. Each institute of forensic medicine in Switzerland maintains a flying service and keeps doctors available for advice round the clock; they can best be contacted through the emergency numbers of the local police forces.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1997

[Treatment failure from the viewpoint of forensic medicine].

It is the nature of a disease that it may not only improve but also deteriorate even when under medical treatment. Medical treatment thus constitutes a high-risk activity. The great advances in medical diagnosis and treatment in recent years have increased this risk still further. The medical profession is becoming increasingly unsettled and worried about claims of treatment errors, not least because-of the increasing pressure from the public and media. This has wrongly led to the development of "defensive medicine" such as has already started to become established in the USA. The medical expert should stand as a mediator between medicine and law, and thus be in a position to clear up misunderstandings between the two disciplines with their different mind sets. For these reasons, a forensic specialist should be appointed as an expert whenever possible; he may be proposed to the examining judge as an additional expert in the field in question to answer special questions put to him. This article discussed the basis on which an expert medical opinion should be provided in relation to an injury arising as a result of a treatment.

Defensive Medicine↗
PubMed1994

Correlation between the post-mortem cell content of cerebrospinal fluid and time of death.

The number of cells in the cerebrospinal fluid increases after death. It is not clear whether this observation represents a post-mortem or a supravital phenomenon. There is speculation that some of the cells actively enter the cerebrospinal fluid during the first hours after death and that the rest exfoliate from the subarachnoid layer. The post-mortem cell count in cerebrospinal fluid correlates to the time after death and can be described mathematically (polynomial curve of third order).

Adolescent↗
PubMed1994

Measurement of the skin temperature at the entry wound by means of infrared thermography. An investigation involving the use of .22- to .38- caliber handguns.

This study examines the temperatures at the point that bullets impact human skin. With the assistance of infrared thermography, measurements were taken after shots were fired by .22-, .25-, .32-, .38-special-caliber, and 9-mm Luger pistols and revolvers. The highest temperature readings at the entry point were recorded with the .22 caliber and the lowest with the .32 caliber. The measurement of projectile temperatures in flight resulted in readings of 147 degrees-152 degrees C for the 9-mm Luger.

Humans↗