[Use of a CO-oximeter for forensic diagnosis of hypothermia].

Blood samples were collected from the right and left atria separately in 9 cases of hypothermia and 18 cases of non-hypothermia during judicial and consented autopsy between March 1995 and December 1997. The oxyhemoglobin ratio (O2Hb), reduced hemoglobin ratio (RHb) and oxygen saturation (sO2) were measured by oximetric analysis. O2Hb, R-Hb and sO2 were significantly greater in the hypothermic group than the non-hypothermic group. We conclude that the diagnosis of hypothermia can be established in cases where O2Hb and sO2 in the left atrium exceed 80%, irrespective of values in the right atrium.