Neonate Death Due to Marijuana Toxicity to the Liver and Adrenals.

BACKGROUND Marijuana is the considered the most widely available and used drug across the world. Up to this time, there have been no reports of human death directly caused by acute marijuana toxicity in adults, fetuses, or newborn neonates. CASE REPORT We report a death of an 11-day-old white female neonate due to acute marijuana toxicity. She died of extensive necrosis and hemorrhage of the liver and adrenals due to maternal use of marijuana. CONCLUSIONS This case is unique in that other possible causes of death can be eliminated. With growing use of marijuana by pregnant women and increases in newborn drug screening of umbilical cord homogenate, more cases of neonatal death due to acute marijuana toxicity could be discovered.

Hemorrhagic Infarction of Cerebellum and Brainstem Due to Cervical Epidural Steroid Injection - Case Report and Review of the Literature.

Radiculopathy is a painful condition usually due to a compressed nerve in the spine. It is reported that cervical radiculopathy has an annual incidence of 83.2 cases per 100 000 people. Cervical epidural steroid injection is one of the main treatments, but it can result in serious adverse events, including loss of vision, stroke, paralysis, and death. A 69-year-old female died after receiving the second of three planned C5/C6 epidural steroid injections. The autopsy revealed extensive hemorrhage and necrosis of the entire right side of the cerebellum and nearby brainstem, and extensive petechial hemorrhage of the left side of the cerebellum. This report discusses the importance of a complete autopsy in the case of death due to cervical epidural steroid injection and reporting the case either to peer review literature or to the Food and Drug Administration Adverse Event Reporting System (F AERS) database.

Accidental Finding of Atherosclerosis with 90% Stenosis of the Coronary Artery In a 17-Year-Old White Male.

Atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in the United States, though no case reports of teenage deaths due to the disease were found after extensive literary research. A case is presented of a 17-year-old male driver involved in a motor vehicle collision. Autopsy examination revealed multiple blunt force injuries. Approximately 3 mm of the middle portion of the left anterior descending coronary artery displayed about 90% atherosclerotic stenosis. It was determined that the cause of death was ventricular fibrillation due to atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. The consultation with the parents and possible finding of hypercholesterolemia are discussed in the report.