For many years it
was accepted that death occurred if respiration and circulation ceased for more
than 10 minutes. Now it is possible to stop the heart and respiration for an
hour or longer and restart them again at will by methods such as cooling the
whole body to 15°C or 59°F or less. During this period, ECG and EEG show no
electrical activity and body looks like a corpse. This leads to the view that
it is not the cessation of the respiration or circulation but it is their
failure to return that indicates death. Thus we are driven from a positive to
negative approach. Therefore, the doctor while taking decision must satisfy
himself that not only respiration and circulation have stopped, but their
failure has persisted to such a period that under no circumstances it is
possible for the person to come to life again.
- Death is said to have occurred
when a final expiration is followed by continuous immobility of the chest,
loss of pulse and alteration of the features. These changes indicate that
respiration and circulation have been stopped and the brain will stop
functioning if it has not been so.
- Residual heart movement is not of
practical importance as they are insufficient to maintain the circulation.
- Somatic death can be detected by
ECG that will stop within minutes.
(Ref: Dr. PC
Dikshit Head (MAMC) MD LLB, Textbook of Forensic Medicine, Peepee Publishers)
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