PENDING

PENDING

Case Series of Self-Inflicted Sodium Nitrite Toxicity in Three Michigan Counties: A Comparison of Scene Investigations, Toxicology, and Autopsy Findings. Sodium nitrite toxicity has become increasingly popular as a means for suicide due to its ease of access within the United States. It is commercially available and used as a food additive, antifreeze admixture, and medically utilized as an antidote for cyanide poisoning. Ingestion of a large amount of sodium nitrite, an odorless, white, and water-soluble crystalline powder, can induce severe methemoglobinemia; a metabolic disorder characterized by the inability of hemoglobin to bind and carry oxygen throughout the body. The presentation highlights eight cases from three different southeast Michigan counties of suicide by sodium nitrite ingestion. The presentation also explores the social aspect in the alarming increase rate of suicide by sodium nitrite ingestion, and the careful considerations forensic pathologists need to be aware of when encountering these cases

Pediatric heart valve donation opportunities is not common. In this presentation, we will discuss innovative and creative ways to preserve the gift and maximize the lifesaving gift heart valves.​

Supporting families before, during, and after donation is a process of continuous and compassionate education. As research becomes a larger part of the donation landscape, it is critical that the professionals who work with donor families be able to fully explain how a gift could be used for research. Rather than letting a donor family envision a vague and perhaps frightening use of their loved one’s gifts, donation professionals can demystify what research is. Knowing the extensive touch to the lives of many and potential discoveries further strengthens a family’s support of donation and pride in the legacy of their loved one.