An evaluation of analyzed data of hemoglobin derivatives by CO-Oximeter in medico-legal autopsy.

We examined blood samples of autopsy cases by a CO-Oximeter and evaluated the data for investigation of death including asphyxia. When sampling methods were examined, oxyhemoglobin (O2-Hb) concentrations increased, and reduced hemoglobin (R-Hb) concentrations decreased, by the contact of the blood with the air, while carboxyhemoglobin (CO-Hb) and methemoglobin (Met-Hb) concentrations appeared to be unchanged. The CO-Hb concentrations in the left heart blood were higher than those of the right. In the cases of death due to cold exposure, O2-Hb concentrations of the left heart blood were prominently higher than those of the right. In the cases of death in house fires and the asphyxiated, O2-Hb concentrations were extremely low (below 10%) in both of the left and right heart blood.