Blood strontium concentration related to the length of the agonal period in seawater drowning cases

The levels of ventricular blood strontium (Sr) from 70 seawater drowning vi ctims were compared with their diagnosis of drowning based mainly on certai n criteria selected from their autopsy report. From this comparison, interv als of either the difference of Sr concentration between the left and the r ight ventricle blood (LVSr-RVSr) or the Sr concentration in the left ventri cle blood (LVSr), appear to be related to different time-lapses of the agon al period of drowning. In the aim to diagnose drownings, intervals of both LVSr-RVSr and LVSr were proposed to characterize three different agonal per iods in seawater drowning cases: instantaneous death (ID), fast vital-subme rsion drowning (FVSD) and common vital-submersion drowning (CVSD). (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.