Takeuchi Ikuto, Ikeda Haruka, Yoshimiya Motoo, Ueda Atsushi, Kakimoto Yu
Department of Forensic Medicine, Tokai University School of Medicine, Isehara, JPN.
Cureus. 2025 Jul 24;17(7):e88687. doi: 10.7759/cureus.88687. eCollection 2025 Jul.
Postmortem lividity typically presents as purplish discoloration due to the accumulation of deoxygenated blood in dependent body regions after death. However, certain pathological and environmental conditions can alter its appearance, occasionally resulting in a cherry-red hue that may mislead forensic interpretation. We report a case of drowning in which postmortem lividity appeared cherry-red following cold storage but gradually turned purplish during surface rewarming before autopsy. This observation illustrates the reversible, temperature-dependent behavior of lividity dominated by oxygenated hemoglobin (O₂Hb), contrasting with the stable coloration seen in carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning. Understanding such changes is critical in forensic evaluations to avoid diagnostic pitfalls associated with livor mortis coloration.
尸斑通常表现为死后因脱氧血液在身体下垂部位积聚而呈现的紫色变色。然而，某些病理和环境条件会改变其外观，偶尔会导致樱桃红色调，这可能会误导法医的判断。我们报告一例溺水死亡案例，尸体冷藏后尸斑呈现樱桃红色，但在尸检前体表复温过程中逐渐变为紫色。这一观察结果表明，尸斑受氧合血红蛋白（O₂Hb）主导，具有可逆的、温度依赖性的特征，这与一氧化碳（CO）中毒时所见的稳定色泽形成对比。了解这些变化对于法医评估至关重要，可避免与尸斑颜色相关的诊断陷阱。
