Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy: A Retrospective Autopsy Study of 112 Epileptic Patients.

INTRODUCTION: Sudden unexpected deaths comprise the most important and worthy investigation case profiles in both neurology and forensic medicine. Epilepsy, which is one of the neuropathological causes of sudden unexpected deaths, is an important disorder having mysterious aspects. The aim of this study is to make common the points of view between neurology and forensic medicine experts and to discuss the features of the findings together with the related clinical hypotheses, leading to the differential diagnosis of sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP) by presenting autopsy findings and available medical data of patients who had a prior diagnosis of epilepsy. METHODS: In Istanbul, the cases of 20334 autopsied patients who were referred to The Ministry of Justice Council of Forensic Medicine between 2007 and 2011 were identified from the complete forensic autopsy data of the city and were retrospectively reviewed. Patients who had a prior diagnosis of epilepsy were included. Both descriptive and inferential statistical analyses were performed through the parameters of demographical data, physical properties, incident features, macroscopic-microscopic autopsy findings, and cause of death initially for all cases and then separately for SUDEP cases. RESULTS: Among the 20334 patients, 112 were determined to have a prior diagnosis of epilepsy. A possible macroscopic and/or microscopic epileptic focus was present in 23 (20.5%) of these 112 cases. The cause of death was determined to be SUDEP in 40 (35.7%) cases, while it could not be determined in 28 (25%) cases. Among patients whose death cause was considered as SUDEP, the male-to-female ratio was 1.1:1, while the mean age was 31.5±13.9 years in males and 29.6±12.9 years in females. The presence of hypertrophy and myocardial scar tissue findings in the microscopic examination were significantly more frequent among patients determined to have died from cardiovascular diseases compared to patients in the SUDEP group (p=0.001 for each finding). Besides, in 40 SUDEP cases, 38 (95%) patients underwent toxicological analysis and no antiepileptic agent was detected in 21 (55.3%) of these. CONCLUSION: It can be concluded that there is equality in gender distribution among SUDEP patients, that the young adult population has a slightly increased risk for SUDEP, and that the inconsistent use of antiepileptic medicines is a greater risk factor for SUDEP than polytherapy. Besides, it is important to emphasize that all clinical and postmortem parameters together should be considered for the differential diagnosis of SUDEP, particularly with cardiovascular diseases.

Manner of Death Determination in Fire Fatalities: 5-Year Autopsy Data of Istanbul City.

Death resulting from burns is an important social problem and a frequent accident. However, because approximately 10% of cases are estimated to result from a fire that was deliberately started, all fire-related deaths should be treated as suspicious, and the cause of a fire should be investigated. For the bodies recovered from the scene of a fire, the manner of death could also be suicide or homicide. The objective of this study was to contribute to the clarification of controversial data present in the literature on the manner of death determination of fire-related deaths, through evaluation of autopsy findings of bodies recovered from fires. We reviewed 20,135 autopsies performed in a 5-year period, in Istanbul, as the whole autopsy data of the city and found 133 fire-related deaths. The death scene investigation reports and other judicial documents, autopsy findings, and toxicological analysis results were evaluated to determine the parameters of age, sex, level of the burn, vital signs [red flare; soot in the lower respiratory tract, esophagus, and/or stomach; and screening of carboxyhemoglobin (COHb) levels in the blood], toxicological substances, presence of accelerants, cause of death, and manner of death. The manner of death was determined to be an accident in 98 (73.7%) and homicide in 12 (9%) cases, whereas there was no suicide. In addition, it could not be determined in 23 (17.2%) cases. In accidental deaths, the most frequent cause of death was COHb poisoning with statistically significant blood COHb levels greater than 10%. Further, the presence of soot in the lower respiratory tract, esophagus, and/or stomach and the existence of at least 1 or 2 vital signs together were found to be valid deterministic criteria with statistical significance in terms of identifying the manner of death.

[Evaluation of medical malpractice in emergency and elective general surgery cases resulting in death]. / Ölümle sonuçlanan acil ve elektif genel cerrahi olgularinda tibbi uygulama hatasinin degerlendirilmesi.

BACKGROUND: General surgery is one of the branches in which the distinction between complication and malpractice is difficult to distinguish. In this study, presentation of the main forensic medical parameters considered for the evaluation of medical malpractice in cases of general surgery deaths in which medical malpractice has been alleged and discussing related concepts through the literature are aimed. METHODS: Allegations of medical malpractice against general surgery physicians sent to the First Forensic Expertise Board of the Council of Forensic Medicine between January 1, 2012 and December 31, 2013 for which the relation of casuality between medical malpractice and death had been determined were retrospectively evaluated. RESULTS: Medical malpractice was ruled in 21.9% (n=23) of 105 cases. The most common primary disease diagnoses were trauma-injury (n=32, 30.5%), cholecystitis (n=25, 23.8%) and appendicitis (n=8, 7.6%). When treatment types were compared according to malpractice decision, rate of malpractice in medicine-only treatment was found to be significantly higher compared to surgery + medical treatment (p=0.003, p<0.01). No statistically significant difference was found regarding the rate of malpractice between cases of emergency and elective surgery (p>0.05). When incidence of medical malpractice was compared between cases with clinical diagnosis and diagnosis determined by autopsy, a statistically significant difference was found (p=0.031, p<0.05). Malpractice was ruled at a significantly lower rate in cases in which diagnosis was confirmed with autopsy (p=0.028, p<0.05). DISCUSSION: It can be concluded that physicians are as successful in emergency conditions as in elective conditions and correct administration of medical treatment is of vital importance. Moreover, the Council of Forensic Medicine considers the clinical follow-up data as well as the autopsy data in medical malpractice evaluation.

A descriptive study of female suicide deaths from 2005 to 2011 in Van city, Turkey.

BACKGROUND: Female suicide is an important problem not only for women but for public health in general. METHODS: Autopsy reports from the Van Chief Public Prosecutor's Office from 2005 to 2011 were reviewed retrospectively in order to analyse female deaths from suicide. RESULTS: Sixty-six female suicide cases were recorded during 2005-2011. The mean age of the cases was 22.64 (sd = 10.09) years, and nine were below the age of 15. The most common method of suicide was hanging (44 cases, 66.7 %). Five (7.6 %) of the cases were under treatment for depression, and 12 (18.2 %) cases had a previous suicide attempt. CONCLUSIONS: Cultural suppression of females and prevention of their socialization in enclave societies are risk factors for female suicides. The number of female suicide attempts, especially recurring attempts, should be reduced via psychiatric scanning, follow-up sessions and therapy for high-risk individuals.