Knife wound fatal 21 years later

A strange story from New York City:

In 1981, Charles Boccaleri was stabbed in the West Village. More than 20 years later and only 10 blocks away, he died as a result of his wounds. . .

The fact that such an old wound could eventually lead to the victim's death is unusual, according to a former chief medical examiner for New York City, Dr. Michael Baden. While he was not involved in this case, he said that to get one "delayed homicide" out of 1,000 killings would be a lot.

In this case, Ellen S. Borakove, a spokeswoman for the city medical examiner's office, said Mr. Boccaleri died from bleeding inside his intestines that resulted from the wound.

Dr. Baden explained that after a stabbing, scar tissue could build and the intestines could wrap themselves around the tissue, constricting the flow of arterial blood. He said the delay in classifying the case a homicide was likely the result of ruling out the other possible causes for the bleeding.

While this is an extreme example, it's not just a stabbing that can lead to such adhesions; to a lesser degree, they are an inevitable consequence of abdominal surgery as well. Not something most nonmedical folk are properly aware of. . . .

Posted by David on January 10, 2003 11:06 AM