Shock in Criminal Cases

In April, I covered delirium and noted that there are many underlying etiologies that can cause it. One such etiology is hypoperfusion. When the blood flow is cut off to the vital organs, the body will compensate in an effort to restore the blood flow. The body’s reaction to hypoperfusion is known as shock: What Read More...

Hypertension in Criminal Cases

In April, I covered delirium and noted that there are many underlying etiologies that can cause it. One of those etiologies is a condition called hypertensive crisis, or more specifically, hypertensive encephalopathy. If you have a patient that is treated for hypertension in the course of their arrest, you may need a medical expert to Read More...

What a criminal attorney needs to know about brain injuries.

In April, I covered delirium and noted that there are many underlying etiologies that can cause it. One of those underlying causes is brain injuries, or intracranial processes such as stroke, tumor or traumatic injury. Symptoms of certain intracranial processes are not always immediately apparent or obvious to the person being affected or even their Read More...

What role does Hypoxia play in Criminal Cases? {Assault/Trauma}

For both prosecutors and defense attorneys, it’s often important to know the defendant’s state of mind to litigate the case. If a defendant has a medical condition or traumatic injury that could result in hypoxia it warrants further review by a medical expert to determine if the hypoxia was severe enough to change their mental Read More...

Delirium: What role does it play in criminal cases? {DUI/Gen Med}

In many of our cases we come across symptoms of delirium and are asked to determine if they are due to the assumed etiology, like alcohol or drug intoxication; or from something else, like seizures, or traumatic brain injury. So, this month I’d like to do an overview of delirium and its potential causes, and Read More...

Involuntary Intoxication when mixing Cocaine and Alcohol…? {MH/Tox}

What if someone knows how cocaine affects them, and they know how alcohol affects them, but not how they can affect them when taken together? The use of both cocaine and alcohol together results in a unique metabolite called cocaethylene. This metabolite stays in the system longer and prevents the reuptake of dopamine resulting in Read More...

How using a nurse can help you win your case.

The nurses and doctors at Godoy Medical Forensics offer medico-legal consulting in criminal and civil cases and we can assist you in your case development and at trial. In many cases you do need a doctor to testify, but that doesn’t necessarily exclude the need for a nurse. It may actually save you money if you Read More...

5 things criminal attorneys should know about…Bruises

This is the last in the “5 things criminal attorneys should know about…” series where I highlight some areas of medicine that often cross into the criminal fields. This is not meant to be an in-depth review, but rather just bullet pointed facts. If you have any subject requests let me know! For this month Read More...

We can help you on your Capital Case!

Do you have a capital case? Does the defendant have oodles of medical records? How are you digesting those right now? As a prosecutor, are you ready for the defense arguments against competency? As a defense attorney, are you able to articulate the medical issues that the defendant suffers from? Many of our clients ask Read More...