Forensic entomology in Latin America

© 2020, Venezuelan Society of Pharmacology and Clinical and Therapeutic Pharmacology. All rights reserved. Solving criminal cases can be a complicated task, as there are numerous elements to consider when analyzing a body as its identification, reason for death, time of death, among others; this is where forensic entomology, a specialty in development whose potential cannot be neglected, its effective-ness in recognizing a deceased through the insect’s present providing abundant information about its state of decomposi-tion, death interval, and even evidence some events that led to death. Knowing which insects are found, their stage of evolution through their growth and/or development rates allows professionals to identify post-mortem characteristics. Thanks to this science, it is even possible to provide a timeline of the events, with the help of the post mortem interval during the first 72 hours, in addition there are other elements such as the identification of the types of insects, the amount present in the body, as well as its state of growth and development. There is also the modeling of the crime scene temperatures, these are compared with estimates of the meteorological condition to determine the circumstantial environment of the corpse, until determining if the event actually occurred in that place or the event was in another location and the deceased was moved to where he was found. In general, forensic entomology has great versatility and application. Despite this, in Latin America its boom is not as strong as expected, as few countries have done research on the matter, always ac-companied by the police institute and the educational and/or university entity for theoretical support. On the other hand, there are countries such as Mexico and Guatemala whose scientific advances are still very few and, if any, are found only in universities and research centers

Open Fractures in patients from the Teodoro Maldonado Carbo Hospital in Guayaquil city

Objetivo: Caracterizar epidemiológicamente las fracturas expuestas y las complicaciones infecciosas en pacientes atendidos en el servicio de emergencia de Traumatología del Hospital Teodoro Maldonado Carbo de la ciudad de Guayaquil, Ecuador. Método: Se realizó un estudio descriptivo, retrospectivo, mediante un análisis del sistema de registro del Teodoro Maldonado Carbo incluyéndose pacientes con diagnóstico de fracturas expuestas durante el período 2015-2017. Resultados: Se incluyeron 438 pacientes, con predominio en hombres (75,1%; n=329) y jóvenes <35 años 61% (n=267), la región tibial fue la zona corporal más afectada (62,3%; n=273). En cuanto a la severidad del grado de exposición, la fractura tipo IIIB fue la más frecuente 36,1% (n=158), siendo la fijación externa el procedimiento más empleado (57,8%; n=253). El 39,7% (n=174) de las fracturas se infectó y el staphylococcus aureus fue el agente más común con 40,8% (n=71). Conclusiones: La frecuencia de casos de fracturas expuestas en el Hospital Teodoro Maldonado Carbo de la ciudad de Guayaquil es alta en comparación con otros estudios, con un predominio en hombres, en sujetos jóvenes y con afectación tibial. Asimismo, se observa una alta frecuencia de infección en la fracturas, siendo el staphylococcus aureus el principal microorganismos aislado.© 2019, Sociedad Venezolana de Farmacologia y de Farmacologia Clinica y Terapeutica. All rights reserved. Objective: To characterize epidemiologically the open fractures and their infectious complications in patients attended in the orthopedic emergency service of the Teodoro Maldonado Carbo Hospital in Guayaquil city, Ecuador. Method: A descriptive, retrospective study was carried out through a record analysis of this hospital, including patients with open fractures diagnosis during the 2015-2017 period. Results: 438 patients were included, predominantly men (75.1%, n=329) and young people <35 years 61% (n=267), the tibial region was the most affected area (62.3%; n=273). Regarding the degree of exposure, type IIIB fracture was the most frequent one 36.1% (n=158), with external fixation being the most used procedure (57.8%, n=253). Likewise, 39.7% (n=174) of the fractures were infected and staphylococcus aureus was the most common agent with 40.8% (n=71). Conclusions: The frequency of open fractures cases in the Teodoro Maldonado Carbo Hospital in Guayaquil city is high in comparison to other studies, especially in men, young subjects and tibial affectation. Also, a high frequency of infection in the fractures is observed, staphylococcus aureus being the main isolated microorganism