Medicolegal Insitute, Gandhi Medical College, Bhopal.
Carboxyhaemoglobin level in the burn cases is considered as a perfect marker of antemortem or postmortem burn. It has been observed by the series of experiments that when the antemortem or the postmortem blood is heated/cooked in vitro in open atmosphere and closed tube, the carboxyhaemoglobin level also increases to the same proportion. It is assumed that apart from inhalation of carbonmonoxide, the blood which is coming into direct contact of burning fumes may further absorb the carbon monoxide and thus may give rise to false increased level of carboxyhaemoglobin. It is also not uncommon that the death occurring as a result of antemortem burn is subsequently followed by postmortem burns resulting into severe charring, as well as in known cases of postmortem incineration the carboxyhaemoglobin level is seen remarkably high like antemortem burns. The medicolegal evaluation of carboxy haemoglobin concentration and its interpretation in burn deaths and of postmortem burns is discussed in this paper.
