Modélisation de la température rectale post-mortem en environnement thermique variable

The measure of the rectal temperature is one of the main post-mortem interval (PMI) estimation tool. After the death, the body temperature decreases until reaching the ambient temperature. This evolution is well known and governed by heat transfer laws. Several methods, as the Henssge's nomogram, use this thermal indicator to estimate the PMI. However, when the body environment temperature varies, no method allows to predict the evolution of the internal temperature. This work presents the results of a computer model allowing the simulation of human body thermal inertia, and evolution of the post-mortem rectal temperature in response to variable ambient temperatures. In order to test Henssge's nomogram validity in case of body at variable ambient temperature, model data were compared to PMI estimation obtained using the nomogram. Results indicate that the rectal temperature can not be use if the environment temperature vary, even if these variations have low amplitude (4 °C in 24 h).