Fatal Rupture of Brachial Pseudoaneurysm in a Drug Abuser: Case Report and Review of the Literature

The injection of drugs of abuse causes many millions of deaths each year; deaths are mostly due to fatal overdose and the trauma and infection caused by repeated injections. The scientific literature widely reports cases of infected pseudoaneurysm in injecting drug abusers; however, most of these au...

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Published inThe American journal of forensic medicine and pathology
Main Authors Trotta, Silvia, Sorrentino, Antonella, Bertozzi, Giuseppe, Angiletta, Domenico, Solarino, Biagio
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published United States 01.12.2019
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Summary:The injection of drugs of abuse causes many millions of deaths each year; deaths are mostly due to fatal overdose and the trauma and infection caused by repeated injections. The scientific literature widely reports cases of infected pseudoaneurysm in injecting drug abusers; however, most of these autopsy cases deal with the rupture of pseudoaneurysm of the femoral artery. We present fatal hemorrhagic shock in a heroin-cocaine abuser subsequent to rupture of pseudoaneurysm of the brachial artery; the man collapsed just before injecting himself with a dose of heroin-cocaine (speedball).
ISSN:1533-404X
DOI:10.1097/PAF.0000000000000504