Forensic and forensic medicine in Ecuador has evolved over the years in terms of training professionals dedicated to this specialty of higher education institutions in our country. In Ecuador, the first training program for professionals in the specialty of forensic medicine was carried out in the twentieth century. For years, the training programme has been conducted on the basis of self-study and experience in the forensic field.1,2,3 In other countries, such as Korea, it has been reported that deaths from thermal burns contribute to about 2.6% of all traumatic deaths.5,6 Burns are injuries caused by physical exposure. chemical or biological agents which, when exposed to tissues, cause local or general reactions the severity of which is related to their extent and depth`. This definition of burns collected by Gisbert Calabuig [1] is the starting point for the description of the effects that heat produces on the human body, whether through physical agents (heat, electricity, radiant heat, radiation), chemical agents (caustic or corrosive substances), biological agents (insects, jellyfish, fish, amphibians, plants, etc.). 8 All this is 100% in terms of burns. Todesfälle durch Verbrennungen geben mehrere Probleme für Polizeianweisungen und Ärzte, darunter die Feststellung medizinischer und rechtlicher Ursachen. Die Wirkung von Feuer auf den Körper kann die Haut beeinflussen und verschiedene Grade von Verbrennungen bestimmen oder den Knochen beeinflussen, sogar einäschern. A recent review of burns and their legal implications in Ecuador was carried out in order to provide comprehensive information on this issue, which today requires special attention. Various documents and articles have been extracted from international scientific databases and have received his trust to finally obtain remarkable results that nourish the theoretical and practical field of this field.
In macro-examination, it is difficult, if not impossible, to distinguish the burns produced ante-mortem from the autopsy. However, there are vital reaction phenomena that, in some cases, distinguish them.23 Keywords: burns; Forensic medicine; police education; medico-legal cause. If there is one country that should and can conduct this research, it is Ecuador, where more than 45,000 burns per year are reported and more than 92% are thermal burns, in part because it is a major cause of death between the ages of 15 and 49.3-6 In the classical forensic literature as well as in the updated literature, There is little evidence of the relationship between the forensic cause of burns and the pathogen. distribution, percentage, location of the event, and other elements that could be used as indicators of its etiology.7 15- Vega D. Role of the Machala Centre for Research in Forensic Sciences in Solving Forensic Problems (title article. Mashal University of Technology, El Oro). 2019. Available in repositorio.utmachala.edu.ec/handle/48000/14042. These deaths are due to several factors affecting various organs and tissues, including: burns, sepsis, fluid and electrolyte imbalances, hypermetabolic reaction, shock and toxemia processes, respiratory failure and others. Burn deaths pose a variety of challenges for police and coroners training, including determining their medico-legal cause. The action of fire on the body can cause the skin to determine burns of various degrees or charring, which affects bones and even calcines.
An updated literature review of issues related to burns and their forensic interpretation in Ecuador was carried out with the aim of providing detailed information on this topic, which today requires special attention. Numerous documents and articles on burns in forensic pathology from international scientific databases have been reviewed and the reliable source verified in order to finally obtain relevant results that feed the theoretical and practical process of the field. It can be concluded that, although there is no single indicator that can confirm the medico-legal etiology of these deaths, age, sex, percentage of burns, pathogens and location of the event are revealed in a study as useful indicators for assessing the medico-legal etiology of burn deaths. which, together with indicators, are indispensable tools to complement research.
