Postmortem Diagnosis of Fat Embolism Syndrome-A Rare Case Report

Fat embolism means occlusion of blood vessels by fat globules, which is invariably seen in almost all cases of long bone fractures, whereas, fat embolism syndrome (FES) is nothing but the clinical manifestations resulted due to fat embolism affecting different organ systems. Much literature is not published regarding the FES in Indian context. Post-mortem diagnosis of FES is primarily based on microscopic findings and usually is a diagnosis of exclusion. A case of 21yrs young male involved in a road traffic accident and who sustained a long bone fracture and died within 12hrs of insult, after developing acute respiratory distress, is being presented. Diagnosis was made on the basis of clinical records, autopsy and microscopic findings. As Postmortem diagnosis of FES is rarely done in our current set up of forensic practice, this case is being reported.