Influence of blood thiosulfate produced by postmortem changes for the diagnosis of hydrogen sulfide poisoning in forensic autopsy

Previous studies have reported a blood thiosulfate concentration of >14 μmol/L in hydrogen sulfide poisoning cases and <4 μmol/L in normal cases. Thus, thiosulfate concentration is believed to have a significant impact on the diagnosis of hydrogen sulfide poisoning. This study revealed that postmortem decomposition produced thiosulfate in the blood, and the concentration of thiosulfate was often as high as that observed in cases of hydrogen sulfide poisoning-related death. In addition to cases of advanced decomposition, an increase in thiosulfate concentration was also observed in cases of partial decomposition. Therefore, when measuring thiosulfate concentration as an indicator of hydrogen sulfide poisoning, it is necessary to carefully consider the influence of decomposition.