Dr. Anu Sasidharan currently serves as Associate Professor at the Department of Forensic Medicine, School of Medicine, Kochi.
Year |
Affiliation |
---|---|
May 21, 2017 - Present |
Associate Professor
|
May 20, 2013 - May 20, 2017 |
Assistant Professor |
April 1, 2008 - May 13, 2010 |
Tutor
|
Year of Publication | Title |
---|---|
2020 |
V. Marwaha, Anu Sasidharan, and Greeshma C. Ravindran, “Assessment of the Feedback Questionnaire from Students for a Weekend”, Indian Journal of Forensic Medicine & Toxicology, vol. 14, no. 2, pp. 158-163, 2020. |
2020 |
M. V. and Anu Sasidharan, “Assessment of the Feedback Questionnaire from Students for a Weekend Lecture”, Indian Journal of Forensic Medicine & Toxicology, vol. 14, no. 2, pp. 167-170, 2020. |
2020 |
Anu Sasidharan and Al-Kandary, N. M., “Contriving an Opinion of Cause of Death in Autopsies”, Indian Journal of Forensic Medicine & ToxicologyIndian Journal of Forensic Medicine & Toxicology, vol. 14, no. 4, pp. 58-62, 2020.[Abstract] Contriving an opinion of cause of death is something that requires a good expertise in the subject knowledge<br>and the right set of discriminative skills. The immediate and basic causes of death, circumstances surrounding<br>the death, and the investigation findings of police officers are all the necessary prerequisites to be gathered,<br>before formulating an opinion. Decisions on the cause of death most often de facto will decide the manner<br>of death.<br>A forensic pathologist can give causes of death in a logical sequential manner. Hume’s and Mill’s philosophy<br>is something to be always borne in the mind of a forensic pathologist. Istanbul Protocol is the only literature<br>mentioning as to how to opine an effect, with respect to the causes or circumstances that led to the effect.<br>This can be extrapolated to have five different compartmentalised categories of opinions. Unless there is<br>certain uniformity in opining, the more are the chances of confusion among our fraternity and the judiciary More »» |
2020 |
Anu Sasidharan and T., F., “A Case of Freakish Friction Burn”, J Indian Acad Forensic Med , vol. 42, no. 2, pp. 148-149, 2020. |
2020 |
P. V. V. Pillay A, Anu Sasidharan, and VV, P., “Arsenic – Not an Obsolete Homicidal Poison”, J Indian Acad Forensic Med , vol. 42, no. 3, pp. 227-230, 2020. |
2020 |
M. U. K., S., G., N., U. C. S., R., R., Poornima, B., ,, Anu Sasidharan, and N., R., “Development of a New Questionnaire to Study Students’ Perception toward Online Classes”, Amrita J Med , vol. 16, pp. 143-145, 2020. |
2019 |
Anu Sasidharan and N.M., A. - K., “A Review of the Techniques and Guidelines in Adult Autopsies”, Saudi Journal of Medicine, vol. 4, no. 12, pp. 774-790, 2019.[Abstract] A medico-legal autopsy on an adult if performed completely and systematically, with a reasonable uniformity and clarity can help in the betterment of outcomes while providing justice. The pre-requisites prior to an autopsy, and a thorough external examination are very important before moving on with the internal examination. In many situations a proper external examination will be sufficient to give a medico-legal report; if done methodically. There are four types of skin incisions employed in a medico-legal autopsy to examine three body cavities. The internal examination can be done using four dissection techniques as outlined in the existing literature. Examination of brain, heart, neck structures, spinal column and genitalia are very important and requires an organized approach in order to not to miss salient findings. Finally, while closure of the cadaver the doctors must bear a very important fact in mind that the body on the table was once housed by a living being and hence s/he must be treated with the same respect and dignity as one would expect him/herself to be treated by others. More »» |
2019 |
V. V. Pillay and Anu Sasidharan, “Oleander and Datura Poisoning: An Update.”, Indian J Crit Care Med, vol. 23, no. Suppl 4, pp. S250-S255, 2019.[Abstract] India has a very high incidence of poisoning. While most cases are due to chemicals or drugs or envenomation by venomous creatures, a significant proportion also results from consumption or exposure to toxic plants or plant parts or products. The exact nature of plant poisoning varies from region to region, but certain plants are almost ubiquitous in distribution, and among these, Oleander and Datura are the prime examples. These plants are commonly encountered in almost all parts of India. While one is a wild shrub (Datura) that proliferates in the countryside and by roadsides, and the other (Oleander) is a garden plant that features in many homes. Incidents of poisoning from these plants are therefore not uncommon and may be the result of accidental exposure or deliberate, suicidal ingestion of the toxic parts. An attempt has been made to review the management principles with regard to toxicity of these plants and survey the literature in order to highlight current concepts in the treatment of poisoning resulting from both plants. More »» |
2019 |
G. A and Anu Sasidharan, “Impact of problem based learning and lecture based learning with respect to clinical microbiology teaching”, Amrita J Med, vol. 15, 1 vol., pp. 12-14, 2019. |
2019 |
A. A, VV, P., B, J., and Anu Sasidharan, “Estimation and Assessment of Carbon Monoxide Levels from Post-mortem Blood Samples in Cases of Death Due to Burns”, J South India Medicolegal Association, vol. 11, 1 vol., 2019. |
2019 |
A. Kumar Sikary, Anu Sasidharan, Pillay, V. V., and Andrade, C., “Prescription drug suicide in non-abusers: A 6-year forensic survey”, Asian Journal of Psychiatry, vol. 44, pp. 133 - 137, 2019.[Abstract] Background Prescription drug suicide merits study to guide the development of strategies to reduce suicide risk. We examined prescription drug suicide specifically in non-abusers of prescription drugs; this is a relatively unexplored subject. Methods Six-year data on prescription drug suicide in non-abusers were extracted from the records of the Department of Forensic Medicine at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi. These records contained information obtained from the scene of the suicide, from interviews with relatives of the deceased, and from forensic toxicological analyses at two laboratories. Results There were 27 (8%) cases of prescription drug suicide in non-abusers out of 338 cases of suicidal poisoning. The mean age of this sample was 26 years. The sample was 74% male. Nearly half of the cases (44%) were students. A combination of dextropropoxyphene with dicyclomine, with or without paracetamol, was used by 41% of cases. Overdose was achieved through the ingestion of 10–40 (median, 30) tablets or by the injection of 2–3 (median, 2) vials of medication. In 52% of cases, it appeared that the drugs had been procured over the counter. Conclusions It is reassuring that the absolute number of prescription drug suicides in non-abusers was small; the findings, however, are important because they could serve as a baseline for assessing time trends in future studies. For the present, we suggest that prescription drugs of potential abuse, especially those containing opioids and antispasmodics, should be prescribed and dispensed judiciously, especially to youth. More »» |
2018 |
T. P.H.A, N, R., and Anu Sasidharan, “Child Sexual Abuse – The Current Scenario”, Amrita J Med , vol. 14, 1 vol., pp. 3 - 7, 2018. |
2017 |
Anu Sasidharan and Kumar, D., “An Unfortunate Infant: A Case Report”, The Indian Police Journal, vol. 64, no. 1, 2017.[Abstract] The importance of a medico-legal case doesn't end by the conclusion of the autopsy examination. Medico-legal cases are unique and there are some important 'take home messages' to be taken from each case into the society for the benefit of the common man. Careful observations and inquisitive thinking can bring forth interesting as well as educative lessons. These lessons should be imbibed in the most effective manner not only by the doctors, police officers and judiciary but also by the society as a whole. We hereby present a case report of an infant who died due to injuries sustained to her head in the most unfortunate manner. We have presented the various medico-legal aspects and extenuating circumstances that are surrounding this case in adjunction with the existing literature. Thereby in this case scenario some light has been thrown upon those 'hard truths' that are commonly overlooked, in order to bring out the grey areas and moot points that can be involved in similar situations. More »»![]() |
2017 |
Anu Sasidharan, UK, R., Pillay V. V., Ajid, A., and KR, S., “Role and utility of Clinical Forensic Medicine Unit (CFMU) in a major hospital – Part II”, J South India Medicolegal Assoc , vol. 9, no. 2, pp. 74 - 79, 2017.[Abstract] This study is subsequent to an earlier study conducted by the investigators to establish the importance of a Clinical Forensic Medicine Unit (CFMU) in a major hospital, which was done by way of comparison of the quality of wound certification. In this study the authors decided to compare the quality of discharge certification or treatment certification that has serious implications when it comes to presentation of a medico-legal case in the court. Handling of medico-legal issues has been always a challenging task in India. The scenario here unlike the West is much less satisfactory with regard to discharge of medico-legal duties. The treating physician may efficiently manage the medical needs of the injured/poisoned, but later when the treatment certificate/records are perused in the court, there is often confusion in relation to medicolegal aspects. The guidance or services of a forensic expert is essential for effective management of such medico-legal problems and the Clinical Forensic Medicine Unit (CFMU) started a year ago under the overall administrative control of the Department of Forensic Medicine & Toxicology in Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences, Cochin, Kerala has been proven to be successful in this regard. In this retrospective study discharge/treatment summaries were compared with discharge/treatment certificates. Until the advent of CFMU the treatment summaries were used as medico-legal documents in the court. The medico-legal aspects documented in 200 certificates, i.e. 100 numbers that were prepared by non-forensic doctors and 100 numbers that were prepared by the CFMU, were compared, scrutinised and analysed. The statistical results showed that the differences in the documentation of discharge details (for medico-legal purpose) were highly significant with a p value of <0.001. © 2017 South India Medico-Legal Association. All rights reserved. More »» |
2017 |
R. UK, Anu Sasidharan, Pillay V. V., Ajid, A., and KR, S., “Role and Utility of Clinical Forensic Medicine unit (CFMU) in a Major Hospital - Part I”, J South India Medicolegal Assoc , vol. 9, no. 2, pp. 68 - 73, 2017. |
2017 |
Anu Sasidharan, John, A., and Prof. K. R. Sundaram, “Comparison of knowledge, attitude and practice FF self-learning among different levels of faculty members”, Journal of South India Medicolegal Association, vol. 9, pp. 18-25, 2017.[Abstract] The teaching methodologies in medical colleges can be tilted towards teacher centric or learner centric kind of approach. Recently Medical Council of India has been mandating revised faculty training programmes and one of the objectives of such training programmes is to promote a learner-centred approach. Self-Learning is the vital component of a learner-centred approach in medical education. Through self-learning the learners assume responsibility for their learning thereby facilitating adult learning. However till date, there is no published literature on the existing knowledge, attitude and practice of self-learning among faculty members of a medical college. Unless the existing scenario is clear, it is not possible to decide on the emphasis of self-learning in the revised faculty training programmes across the country. Moreover unless the faculty members are trained adequately, it is near to impossible to promote self-learning in the learners. This pilot research work was chosen as a beginning to determine this gap of knowledge of existing scenario amongst the faculty members in medical colleges. 30 junior level and 30 senior level faculty members voluntarily participated in this study that lasted six months. The results have shown that the attitude and practice of self-learning in faculty members, especially juniors were disappointing and it is high time for research works relating to medical education to be taken up involving faculty members in order to understand the pitfalls in the existing system. © 2017 South India Medico-Legal Association. All rights reserved. More »» |
2016 |
A. John, Joy, T., Paul, N., Javed, R., Anu Sasidharan, and Menon, U. K., “Effectiveness of a 'Short training in Teaching Methodology' for entry level Medical Teachers Corresponding Author Citation Article Cycle”, vol. 28, pp. 300-304, 2016.[Abstract] Background: Teacher education curricula should enable teachers to facilitate learners' acquiring knowledge, attitudes, behavior and skills that they will need in their profession. Though there are faculty development programmes that are being conducted in India, there are only a few published reports of the same. Aims & Objectives: To assess the " Effectiveness of a Short training in Teaching Methodology for entry level Medical Teachers. " Settings and Design: A quasi-experimental study with pre-test post-test design and an educational intervention was carried out on 30 consenting Senior Residents at a Medical College in Kochi. Material & Methods: The intervention was eight-hour training in teaching methodology using a curriculum designed by the researcher in consultation with experts. Data analysis was done using SPSS software to compare the pre and post-test scores of the residents. Results: Overall feedback was positive. The participants reported that " they had learned a lot " and were of the view that " the course would help them to put forward better performances " when assigned teaching-learning tasks. The pre-test and post-test scores were compared and significant improvement was found with regard to knowledge, motivation to teach (reflecting attitude change) and practice. Conclusion: A short training in teaching methodology has helped entry level medical teachers to become more effective in their teaching. More »» |
2016 |
Pillay V. V., Anu Sasidharan, and UK, R., “Decontamination Methods in Poisoning Revisited”, J Indian Soc Toxicol, vol. 12, no. 1, pp. 22 - 28, 2016. |
2015 |
Anu Sasidharan, James, B., and Ajid, A., “Strange Murder ”, Amrita Journal of Medicine, vol. 11, 2015. |
2015 |
B. James and Anu Sasidharan, “Cut Throat Injuries – Three Case Scenarios”, Journal of South India Medicolegal Association , vol. 7, pp. 36-39, 2015. |
2014 |
Anu Sasidharan, B, U., and B, J., “Sudden Natural Death due to Right Ventricular Fatty Disease”, International Journal of Med. Toxicol Legal Med , vol. 17, 1 vol., pp. 21-24, 2014. |
2014 |
Anu Sasidharan, B, U., S, R., KR, S., and Pillay V. V., “Diatoms – A study on its Temporo-spatial Variations with Special Reference to Temperature and Salinity”, . J South India Medico-legal Assoc , vol. 6, no. 1, pp. 14 - 21, 2014. |
2014 |
Anu Sasidharan and Resmi, S., “Forensic Diatomology”, An Open Access Peer Reviewed E-Journal, 2014.[Abstract] Diatom frustules are examined routinely during autopsies of deaths due to drowning. Presence of same species of diatoms (in similar concentrations) as that of the putative |
2013 |
Anu Sasidharan, Umadethan, B., and Thomas, J., “Massive Intracranial Hemorrhage in Trivial Head Trauma due to Iatrogenic Coagulopathy – A Case Report”, IJRRMS, 2013.[Abstract] Anticoagulants are regularly prescribed for treating patients who had acute or chronic coronary episodes. The potential hazardous side effects are almost always not shared to such patients or their bystanders. Bleeding episodes that occur due to even trivial trauma can result in life threatening complications for such patients. A case report and discussions concerning this matter is presented in this pape More »» |
2013 |
Anu Sasidharan, “Post Infarction Rupture of Heart – A Case Report”, Journal of South Indian Medico-legal Association, vol. 5, 2013. |
2013 |
B. James, Balachandran, A., Anu Sasidharan, Ramakrishanan, U. K., Prem, T. N., and Jerry, T., “Unusual incised stab wound produced by a single edged weapon: A case report”, Indian Journal of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology, vol. 7, pp. 1-3, 2013.[Abstract] Stab wound examination yields valuable information about the weapon. Some amount of information about the hilt can also be obtained at times. In this case of murder by stabbing, the cutting edge of the (single edged) blade had a blunt portion (ricasso) adjacent to the handle and the hilt was projecting beyond the cutting edge. The ricasso had modified the sharp cut end of the stab wound and the blunt end of the knife had produced fish tailing. These events had altered the external appearance of the wound in such a way that the end which corresponded with the sharp edge of the knife looked blunt and the other end looked sharp. However, despite the confusing appearance of the skin wound, the actual orientation of the blade could still be determined from the hilt bruise. More »» |
2012 |
Anu Sasidharan, “Diatoms – A Study on its Role in Identification of Site of Drowning – Original Research Work”, International Journal of Medical Toxicology & Legal Medicine, vol. 12, 2012. |
2012 |
Anu Sasidharan, “Forensic taphonomy: An overview”, Journal of South India Medicolegal Association, vol. 4, pp. 19-27, 2012.[Abstract] Various taphonomic processes are responsible for the changes in a carcass. At present, late postmortem changes such as bloating, blister formation, colliquative putrefaction (qualitative variables) are utilised for estimation of time since death / postmortem interval in cases of advanced putrefaction. Due to seasonal / geographical variations there is gross difference of opinion in estimation of such postmortem intervals. These late postmortem changes can be converted to a scoring system (quantitative factors) called Total Body Score (TBS). A very recent concept called Accumulated Degree Days (ADD) measures temperature units accumulated into a carcass over a material time. TBS obtained is incorporated into ADD to estimate the postmortem interval more accurately. © 2012 South India Medico-Legal Association. All rights reserved. More »» |