Evidence map›Paper›PMID 27259559›Full record

ArticleForensic science, medicine, and pathology2016

Methods for determining time of death.

Burkhard Madea

Abstract read
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In one paragraph

Article in Forensic science, medicine, and pathology, 2016. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 111 papers, 5 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
111citing papers in PubMed, 5 pooled it
17.0field-weighted citation impact, top 1% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

111 citing papers in PubMed, 5 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 229 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
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  12. The use of spleen biomechanics in forensic pathology.International journal of legal medicine · 2026
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  19. Letter to the editor - Regarding "Forensic science international. Synergy · 2026
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51 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

1 author at 1 institution in 1 country.

Burkhard MadeaInstitute of Forensic Medicine, University of Bonn, Stiftsplatz 12, 53111, Bonn, Germany. b.madea@uni-bonn.de.
University of Bonn · DE

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Medicolegal death time estimation must estimate the time since death reliably. Reliability can only be provided empirically by statistical analysis of errors in field studies. Determining the time since death requires the calculation of measurable data along a time-dependent curve back to the starting point. Various methods are used to estimate the time since death. The current gold standard for death time estimation is a previously established nomogram method based on the two-exponential model of body cooling. Great experimental and practical achievements have been realized using this nomogram method. To reduce the margin of error of the nomogram method, a compound method was developed based on electrical and mechanical excitability of skeletal muscle, pharmacological excitability of the iris, rigor mortis, and postmortem lividity. Further increasing the accuracy of death time estimation involves the development of conditional probability distributions for death time estimation based on the compound method. Although many studies have evaluated chemical methods of death time estimation, such methods play a marginal role in daily forensic practice. However, increased precision of death time estimation has recently been achieved by considering various influencing factors (i.e., preexisting diseases, duration of terminal episode, and ambient temperature). Putrefactive changes may be used for death time estimation in water-immersed bodies. Furthermore, recently developed technologies, such as H magnetic resonance spectroscopy, can be used to quantitatively study decompositional changes. This review addresses the gold standard method of death time estimation in forensic practice and promising technological and scientific developments in the field.

Indexed as

Postmortem ChangesBody TemperatureBody WeightElectric StimulationForensic MedicineGastrointestinal ContentsHeart ArrestHumansIrisMagnetic Resonance SpectroscopyMioticsModels, BiologicalMuscle, SkeletalMydriaticsOculomotor MusclesPotassiumMioticsMydriaticsPotassiumUreaBody coolingDecompositionMethodsNomogram methodTime of deathVitreous humor

Identifiers

PMID27259559
OpenAlexW2418606960

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.