Blunt trauma to chest in exhumed body - a case review

Pulmonary contusion is the most common injury found in blunt chest trauma, occurring in 25-35% of cases. Blunt chest wall trauma was defined as blunt chest injury resulting in chest wall contusion or rib fractures, with or without non-immediate life-threatening lung injury. People with mild contusion may not show any signs and symptoms but with severe pulmonary contusion tenderness, dyspnoea, cyanosis haemoptysis are usual findings and in absence of timely treatment could lead to fatal complications such as ARDS (acute respiratory distress syndrome) or pneumonia. Herewith reviewing autopsy case of young adult in exhumed case who sustained blunt trauma to chest by assault and later succumbed to its ignored complications. This case emphasizes importance of meticulous autopsy, proper circumstantial and clinical history at arriving at definitive cause of death