STUDY OF HISTOPATHOLOGICAL CHANGES IN LUNGS AND KIDNEYS FOLLOWING DEATH DUE TO BURNS AT VARYING PERIODS OF SURVIVAL

BACKGROUND In the present study, aetiological factors leading to death from burns; pattern of burns; the environment in which the incident occurs, depth and percentage of burns, effect of clothing on the distribution and extent of burns sustained. The changes occurring in the internal organs like lungs and kidneys of victims died of burns and period of survival after sustaining burns are studied in detail. With this background, the lungs and kidneys of the victims died of burns were subjected for detailed histopathological examination and the various pathological changes occurred in them are studied. MATERIALS AND METHODS The study was conducted at Government Medical College, Kozhikode. During the period of 1 year, 60 cases of death due to burn from the fire were studied. RESULTS It was noted that majority of lung specimen showed histopathological changes like alveolar oedema and congestion, bronchiolar congestion and haemorrhage, interstitial oedema, haemorrhage, congestion, and inflammation. The kidneys showed acute tubular necrosis and haemorrhage, glomerular haemorrhage and oedema, interstitial necrosis, haemorrhage and congestion as histopathological changes. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION From this study at different periods of survival in burns of two organs, the histopathological changes of lungs and kidneys are more prominent. When the period of survival increased, i.e., these organs undergoes severe and very severe degree of changes. Most of the subject died of acute pulmonary oedema, bronchopneumonia, renal failure, and septicaemia in late period of survival. Hence, on conclusion from the study that the lungs and kidneys are two internal organs, which show constant histopathological changes in cases of death due to burns irrespective of the period of survival and these organs are more important in determining the cause of death.