what is that tag?
December 21, 2010 11:38 AM Subscribe
On the A&E show The First 48, I have seen a white circular "tag" stuck on dead bodies. They never show it for long so I can't describe it all that well. I've seen it on a leg, an arm and a torso. It's always touching skin. It may have metal in the middle. I could be wrong but I think it's about the circumference of a can of soda. What is this thing?
Response by poster: Were they heart monitor electrodes?
Hmmm...maybe! But wouldn't they usually be applied to the chest? I've seen them on other parts of the body.
The one I remember specifically was a white circle and it had red words on it.
posted by morganannie at 12:35 PM on December 21, 2010
Hmmm...maybe! But wouldn't they usually be applied to the chest? I've seen them on other parts of the body.
The one I remember specifically was a white circle and it had red words on it.
posted by morganannie at 12:35 PM on December 21, 2010
If I'm not mistaken, those tags identify the areas where the victim was shot and/or otherwise injured.
posted by notjustfoxybrown at 12:47 PM on December 21, 2010
posted by notjustfoxybrown at 12:47 PM on December 21, 2010
Is it a toe tag for identification purposes?? I know a lot of places don't use the tags anymore but something more like a sticker. Is that what you saw?
posted by fresh-rn at 1:00 PM on December 21, 2010
posted by fresh-rn at 1:00 PM on December 21, 2010
Response by poster: If I'm not mistaken, those tags identify the areas where the victim was shot and/or otherwise injured.
But why would they have the metal center?
Is it a toe tag for identification purposes?
No. Not a toe tag.
posted by morganannie at 1:03 PM on December 21, 2010
But why would they have the metal center?
Is it a toe tag for identification purposes?
No. Not a toe tag.
posted by morganannie at 1:03 PM on December 21, 2010
Might the metal center be used so that the wounded areas appear on a postmortem x-ray? I think that x-ray imaging is sometimes used to find bullets or bullet fragments in the body of the deceased.
posted by easy, lucky, free at 4:19 PM on December 21, 2010
posted by easy, lucky, free at 4:19 PM on December 21, 2010
Best answer: "Were they heart monitor electrodes?
Hmmm...maybe! But wouldn't they usually be applied to the chest? I've seen them on other parts of the body. "
12 lead EKG lead placements do call for "extremity" lead placement on the limbs, but often the extra leads are placed on the torso, near the appropriate arm or leg "root," to reduce trace artifacts/noise in patients with a lot of electrochemical activity.
posted by paulsc at 5:45 PM on December 21, 2010
Hmmm...maybe! But wouldn't they usually be applied to the chest? I've seen them on other parts of the body. "
12 lead EKG lead placements do call for "extremity" lead placement on the limbs, but often the extra leads are placed on the torso, near the appropriate arm or leg "root," to reduce trace artifacts/noise in patients with a lot of electrochemical activity.
posted by paulsc at 5:45 PM on December 21, 2010
Am I missing something? If they're dead, why do they have EKG leads on them?
By the time the detectives get to them, they're already gone, so I'm not sure you're seeing someone who they just tried (and failed) to revive.
My money's on some kind of victim identification or wound marker.
posted by That's Numberwang! at 9:14 PM on December 21, 2010
By the time the detectives get to them, they're already gone, so I'm not sure you're seeing someone who they just tried (and failed) to revive.
My money's on some kind of victim identification or wound marker.
posted by That's Numberwang! at 9:14 PM on December 21, 2010
Response by poster: who they just tried (and failed) to revive.
There are often remnants of rescue attempts around the victims. Breathing masks, compresses etc.
This is not a body identification tag.
posted by morganannie at 5:16 AM on December 22, 2010
There are often remnants of rescue attempts around the victims. Breathing masks, compresses etc.
This is not a body identification tag.
posted by morganannie at 5:16 AM on December 22, 2010
my sister works in a crime lab and would be ordering these sorts of supplies if they're used in police work. I sent her this question and she says
I asked around about this at both the crime lab and with John who used to work at the medical examiner's office. I also checked with our crime scene response vendors, and there was no similar item available. Nobody was familiar with this kind of tagging. So, my guess is one of the following:posted by jessamyn at 8:36 AM on December 22, 2010
* remnants from a resuscitation attempt
* markers of blood splatter, or left over gun shot residue lifters
* some sort of weirdo evidence marker, but i am unfamiliar with anything that looks like this.
If somebody could send a screen shot, Icould probably identifty it. But without, no good idea.
Response by poster: Thanks Jessamyn. I'll try to do a screen shot next time I see one.
posted by morganannie at 10:08 AM on December 22, 2010
posted by morganannie at 10:08 AM on December 22, 2010
Could it be an intraosseous catheter? Basically, a needle that goes into the bone, often placed in cardiac arrest? That could be likely if it is always in the upper arm, shin bone, or breastbone. Sometimes the stabilization devices look like this (sorry, the picture's kind of low-quality).
posted by skyl1n3 at 3:21 PM on December 22, 2010
posted by skyl1n3 at 3:21 PM on December 22, 2010
Response by poster: screen shot. this one is smaller than others I have seen - this episode was from 2004.
My guess at this point is that it is something Emergency responders use and then don't remove before the detectives arrive.
posted by morganannie at 5:37 PM on December 23, 2010
My guess at this point is that it is something Emergency responders use and then don't remove before the detectives arrive.
posted by morganannie at 5:37 PM on December 23, 2010
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posted by davey_darling at 12:09 PM on December 21, 2010