*Assistant Professor, Department of Biochemistry, Subharti Medical College, Delhi Hardwar Bye-pass road, Meerut250005 E-mail: drbindu2006@rediffmail.com
**Associate Professor, Department of Forensic Medicine
Online published on 26 October, 2012.
Bio-chemical and enzymatic changes are observed in blood & most of the body fluids which usually starts immediately or shortly after death. These changes progress in a fairly orderly fashion until the body disintegrates which is used by Forensic Pathologists/biochemists in estimation of time passed since death.
In this study potassium ion and alkaline phosphatase is estimated in vitreous humor at different intervals from 225 dead bodies brought to the mortuary of LLRM Medical College, Meerut for postmortem examination. Vitreous potassium levels were found increasing gradually from 4 -15.62 mEq/L in first 60 hrs but no definite change in alkaline phosphatase concentration in early 42 hrs and then inconsistent changes were observed. All the data were analyzed statistically and inferred that vitreous potassium levels are highly significant in estimating time passed since death but not the alkaline phosphatase.
Time since death, Potassium, Alkaline phosphatase, Postmortem interval
