ABSTRACT
Background It is crucial to analyze the trends of fatal injuries among pedestrians, passengers, motorcycle riders, and drivers of three- and four-wheelers in traffic accidents. Objective To ascertain the trend of fatal injuries to the head, chest, and abdomen across different victim categories in vehicular accidents. Materials and methods An autopsy-based prospective study was carried out in the mortuary of a rural tertiary care hospital. A total of 108 fatal cases of vehicular accidents were taken into consideration. All natural and unnatural deaths, other than those stemming from vehicle crashes, were excluded from this study; only the victims of fatal vehicular accidents were included. Results Males outnumbered female victims by 8.8:1. The age range of 41-60 years was the most affected (38.9%). The greatest number of victims (17, or 15.8%) were male motorcycle riders in the range of 21-40 years. Most vehicular mishaps (61; 56.5%) occurred during the evening. The most frequent injury pattern reported was head injuries (53.4%). Conclusions Motorcycle riders constituted the most severely injured victim category in a vehicular accident. Most mishaps occurred in the dark because of inadequate lighting or bad road conditions in rural areas. Furthermore, the most frequently occurring type of injury was an injury to the head, which may be an outcome of riders' lack of compliance with the mandatory helmet-use policy.
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: This study was conducted to assess the need for clinical forensic medicine (CFM) training (hands-on and bedside) in medical undergraduate students and to determine the utility of skill-based teaching methodology in CFM. METHOD: A cross-sectional study was carried out in the Government Medical College, where we used the mixed model approach (qualitative and quantitative component) to access the approach of three groups containing 50 participants each from (1) resident doctors/interns, (2) faculty, (3) casualty medical officers, toward skill-based teaching of CFM. A structured pretested questionnaire was administered to all study participants. The questionnaire was based on their perception regarding the legal problems faced during clinical practice and their attitude toward the need for CFM. It was followed by a focus group discussion (FGD) arranged separately for each group of 10 participants. Each FGD session lasts for 40 minutes with a moderator and recorder. RESULT: Present MBBS (Bachelor of Medicine & Bachelor of Surgery) curriculum teaches CFM very early is strongly agreed by 20 (40%) of the faculty, four (8%) of interns, and three (6%) of medical officers. 40 (80%) of interns, 43 (86%) of medical officers, and 40 (80%) of faculty necessitate hands-on training in CFM in the MBBS curriculum. Forensic medicine specialists should handle clinical medico-legal cases (MLCs), as agreed by 50 (100%) faculty, 46 (98%) interns, and 47 (94%) medical officers. CONCLUSION: Hands-on training in CFM is needed for a better practical approach for doctors toward handling MLCs. Hands-on training should be introduced in the second-year MBBS curriculum, and their clinical aspects should be taught simultaneously with clinical subjects till the internship.
ABSTRACT
Modern techniques have enabled routine diagnosis of congenital cardiac defects, notwithstanding, there will be some that remain undiagnosed and asymptomatic until adulthood. But this is rarely the case with the patent foramen ovale, with the anomalous aortic origin of the left main coronary artery and bicuspid aortic valve. This case describes the sudden death of a female in her post-partum period due to cardiac tamponade following a ruptured aneurysm of the coronary artery at its origin at the sinus of Valsalva. Autopsy shows patent foramen ovale findings and anomalous aortic origin of coronary artery (AAOCA) and bicuspid aortic valve. The association of AAOCA with bicuspid aortic valve and patent foramen ovale is rare.