Objective: To explore the characteristics of autopsy cases of anaphylactic shock induced by cephalosporins and provide the evidences in forensic medicine.
Methods: Twenty cases of anaphylactic shock induced by cephalosporins were collected from April 2005 to August 2009 in judicial expertise center of China Medical University, and the characteristics of the cases were analyzed retrospectively.
Results: The age of decedents ranged from 40 to 60 years. Ninety percent of cases were from local medical centers and private clinics. The symptoms of the shock appeared 30 s-150 min after the administration of the drug, and death occurred 10 min-210 min after the appearance of the shock symptoms. In all cases, various degrees of eosinophil infiltration were observed in trachea and the lungs. Serum IgE detected by ELISA method was normal value in 14 cases.
Conclusion: In fatal anaphylactic cases, little specific findings are detected during postmortem and microscope examination. For this reason, the determination of cause of death in these cases requires comprehensive analysis combined with clinic information and excludes other diseases leading to the sudden death.