ABSTRACT
Objectives: Drowning is one of the most common causes of accidental deaths in all age groups. This study aims to compare the sociodemographic data, scene of incident findings, clinical characteristics, and autopsy findings of Turkish and foreign victims of drowning in Antalya, one of the most popular global holiday destinations. Study Design: This study is the most extensive case series of drowning in Turkey. Methods: A retrospective examination was made of 7775 autopsies, of which 692 (8.9%) were identified as drowning cases. Results: Almost half of the cases were elderly males of foreign nationality, with a chronic disease and high alcohol consumption, who were found wearing swimming clothes and had died accidentally, mostly in the sea or swimming pools. The majority of Turkish victims were male children and adolescents, found wearing normal daily clothes, who died from a fall or while performing high-risk activities, such as jumping from height. Most of these cases died at the scene of the incident due to an accident or suicide. Conclusions: Such incidences of deaths in Antalya could be reduced with the implementation of precautions, with adjustments made according to the increased risks and, particularly, the mobility of the older age group. Significantly, chronic disease is an important risk factor in cases of drowning.
ABSTRACT
Electric shock injuries (EIs) have high rates of morbidity and mortality in both children and adults. The aim of this study was to examine autopsy cases resulting from EIs and to compare pediatric and adult groups with respect to sociodemographic data, clinical characteristics, location of the incident, electricity entry-exit wound characteristics, current direction, pathological effects of the electric shocks on the body, and cause of death. A total of 8075 autopsies conducted between 2012 and 2022 were retrospectively examined. Sanliurfa is a city in the southeast of Turkey with the highest birth rate in the country. Of 123 cases of death resulting from EIs in Sanliurfa, 58 (47.2%) were children (age < 18 years). In the majority of children (81%), a low-voltage injury resulted from a domestic appliance while the children were playing at home in a rural area. In the vast majority of adults, a high-voltage injury (HVI) resulted from a workplace accident due to working with HVI materials in an area outside the home. The manner of death was accidental in all the electric shock injuries. The electricity entry and exit wounds formed as a result of EIs had similar characteristics in both children and adults, with no significant difference identified. In the province of Sanliurfa, Turkey, which borders Syria and where the main occupation is agricultural activities, there is a need to increase electrical safety precautions within the home, educate parents, and increase electrical safety conditions and worker education in the workplace.
Subject(s)
Electric Injuries , Humans , Child , Adult , Adolescent , Retrospective Studies , Turkey/epidemiology , AutopsyABSTRACT
ABSTRACT: The report examines the autopsy and scene of accident findings of a 9-month-old male infant who died from electric shock when he bit a telephone charge cable plugged into a 3-socket extension lead.At the time of the incident, the infant's father was working outside and his mother had gone to the bathroom, leaving the infant alone in the sitting room. The infant crawled across the floor, reached a telephone charge cable that was plugged into a 3-socket extension lead, and bit the end of the cable. He was found lying motionless on the floor, holding the cable in his hand. He was sent to center for the medicolegal autopsy, during which burns and electric shock entry wounds were found on his mouth, tongue, and right hand. Histopathological examination of the samples taken from the wounds garnered findings consistent with electric shock and thermal effect.This article presents findings of an electric shock entry wound on the tongue, which is rarely seen as the result of a domestic accident. Education is needed to increase awareness among parents about accidents in the home involving children and to encourage preference for electrical products that have shown high success in safety tests.
