How is time to death calculated in terminally I’ll patients?
In: 510
OK when it’s done by a coroner, they essentially try to backtrack when certain processes stop to get an estimate.
When it comes to ER and field pronouncements with paramedics on scene, it’s literally declared by the doctor as they hear about the patients condition. If we do cpr on a patient that seems pretty dead to begin with, we declare the time of death when we stop after there’s no response (there typically isnt.) Paramedics often call with people who have clearly been dead for some time(hours to days) from the scene, the doc on the radio will literally declare it at the time of the call despite the obvious discrepancy.
So the time of death as calculated in forensics is drastically different than what’s used for the general population.
Source: am er nurse, wife a forensics enthusiast.
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