Cooling of Dead Body for Estimation of Time Since Death in IGIMS, Patna, Bihar, India: An Observational Study

Abstract

The main objective of this study was to record the fall of temp in dead body as supportive data for determination of time since death at Patna (Bihar). Algor Mortis is another name of the cooling of the body after death. Nowadays, taking a dead person's temperature can be medically and legally significant when determining the time since death. It is variable and is influenced by a number of variables, including the local climate.

The present study was conducted on 140 dead bodies brought for post-mortem examination at IGIMS, Patna from September 2016 to March 2018 after clearance of ethical committee.

The difference between the body temperature and surrounding atmosphere is wide and naturally the dead body has to cool of the variable range of temperature. Between 3 to 6 hours after death, temperatures were recorded by \(96.6^{\circ}\)F to \(95.6^{\circ}\)F in 37.50% of cases and in 28.12% cases by \(95.6^{\circ}\)F to \(94.6^{\circ}\)F and in 34.37% cases by \(94.6^{\circ}\)F to \(92.6^{\circ}\)F. In the cases examined during 24 hours to 36 hours after death rectal temperatures were found to be lowered by \(78.6^{\circ}\)F to \(74.6^{\circ}\)F in 0.08% cases, and in 91.66% cases bodies were found to be cooled to environmental temperature.

The most crucial duty of the medical professionals conducting the post-mortem examination is to provide the most precise and accurate response. Although it is obviously impossible to pinpoint the precise moment of death, a close approximation can be made by carefully monitoring rectal temperature over the course of three hours, on every half-hourly basis.