Carbon monoxide determinations in postmortem tissues as an aid in determining physiologic status prior to death

¹ Department of Physiology and Biophysics, School of Aviation Medicine USAF, Randolph Air Force Base, Texas

With appropriate methodology, carbon monoxide in the ‘solid’ tissues of animals was quantitated and correlated with the blood carbon monoxide level in a series of controlled experiments with rats and dogs. Experimental conditions simulating aircraft crashes were devised and again the blood and ‘solid’ tissue CO levels were determined. Using the experimental data on animals as a basis for extrapolating blood CO levels, along with tissue CO values, obtained from ‘control’ and CO-asphyxial cases in human beings, an analysis was made of the ‘solid’ tissue specimens obtained in 186 fatal aircraft accidents. From the analysis of tissue specimens from approximately 200 aircraft crash cases, some 30% gave by this method a blood CO level in excess of 30% saturation. These results point to the likelihood that CO was present in the personnel compartments of some or all of these aircraft at some time during flight.