The Usefulness of Lung Surfactant Phospholipids (LSPs) in the Diagnosis of Drowning
Lorente, JA
Associate professor, adjunct professor, and chairman, respectively, Department of Legal Medicine, University of Granada, Granada, Spain.

Hernandez-Cueto, C
Associate professor, adjunct professor, and chairman, respectively, Department of Legal Medicine, University of Granada, Granada, Spain.

Villanueva, E
Associate professor, adjunct professor, and chairman, respectively, Department of Legal Medicine, University of Granada, Granada, Spain.

Luna, JD
Adjunct professor, Department of Biostatistics, University of Granada, Granada, Spain.


Abstract
The authors have studied the usefulness of some lung surfactant phospholipids (LSPs) isolated from lung tissues as markers of drowning. Two different groups of rabbits were sacrificed by drowning in fresh and salt water, and their phospholipid compositions were compared with those of a non-drowned control series.
For the phospholipids studied in lung lavages (phosphatidyl choline, phosphatidyl ethanolamine, and phosphatidyl glycerol) the proportions differed between the control group and the drowned group, and between the fresh-water and salt-water drowned animals. According to these results, the lipids we have analyzed can be employed as markers in forensic autopsies, where it is necessary to differentiate between death by drowning and postmortem immersion and between fresh-water and salt-water drowning.
In lung tissue, only phosphatidyl choline and phosphatidyl inositol showed significative differences.
These results also confirm that LSPs are strongly affected in drowning.

Keywords:
drowning, forensic science, fresh water, pathology and biology, phospholipids, salt water, surfactant

Paper ID: JFS356901367

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Author Lorente JA, Hernandez-Cueto C, Villanueva E, Luna JD Title The Usefulness of Lung Surfactant Phospholipids (LSPs) in the Diagnosis of Drowning Symposium , Committee on