Identification of D-dimer in postmortem blood
OA Version
Citation
Abstract
D-dimer, a type of fibrin degradation product, has been reported to be elevated in postmortem and menstrual blood as well as in peripheral blood of individuals with certain medical conditions. Clinically, D-dimer is used as a target for identifying fibrinolysis activity. In the forensic field, the presence of D-dimer has shown a high potential as a screening tool for distinguishing postmortem blood from antemortem blood at a crime scene. This research explores four methods for detecting D-dimer in liquid and dried human blood – UV-Vis spectroscopy, a rapid latex agglutination assay, a latex-enhanced immunoturbidimetric assay, and a lateral flow immunochromatographic assay – and evaluates the feasibility of targeting D-dimer as an indicator for postmortem blood.
Of the four methods used in this research for detecting D-dimer in postmortem blood, the SERATEC® PMB immunochromatographic test showed the most promising results with a positive reaction rate of 97%. Postmortem and menstrual blood samples both showed elevated D-dimer levels compared to antemortem samples, however, to increase the sensitivity of the test, a reading time extended to 60 minutes is recommended for suspected low-concentration samples. Additionally, the approximate concentration of D-dimer as determined by the latex agglutination assays had no correlation with the postmortem interval of the samples. In conclusion, while D-dimer shows potential for distinguishing postmortem blood, factors such as medical history, age, and the possibility of menstrual blood must be considered when interpreting results.