POSTMORTEM BLOOD GLUCOSE LEVEL: HOW USEFUL TO ENVISAGE THE TIME SINCE DEATH

• Author Details:   
• Dhiraj Trivedi
• K Sankara Narayana

Background: Estimating the time since death is one of the prime objectives of conducting Medico-legal autopsies. The exact time of death can be known from hospital records, police investigation report etc. But at times, it is difficult to predict when such records are not available. Various methods have been experimented using biological fluids like blood, vitreous humor, synovial fluid, urine etc. to determine time lapse with varying degree of success. After somatic death, blood components undergo biochemical changes at every tissue. This principle can be utilized effectively to predict time since death in routine forensic practice where time of death is uncertain.