Investigation of fatal traumatic head injuries.

BACKGROUND: Traumatic head injuries (THIs) are one of the major causes of death in forensic cases. The aim of this study was to investigate the characteristics of patients with fatal THIs. METHODS: In this study, a total of 311 patients with fatal THIs, who underwent postmortem examinations and/or autopsies, were retrospectively analyzed. Cases were evaluated based on sex, age group, incident origin, cause of the incident, presence of skull fracture, type of fractured bone (if any), fracture localization and pattern, presence and type of intracranial lesion (if any), and cause of death. RESULTS: Out of the patients, 242 (77.8%) were male and 69 (22.2%) were female. Accidents accounted for 235 (75.6%) of the incidents, with in-vehicle traffic accidents causing 117 (37.6%). In 221 cases (71.1%), intracranial lesions and skull fractures were observed together. The most common fractures were base fractures (171 cases) and temporal bone fractures (153 cases). The rate of intracranial hemorrhage was lower in the adult age group (69.7%) compared to the older age group (92.6%). CONCLUSION: The results obtained in this study indicate that the cause of the incident, type of fracture, presence of skull base fracture, and multiple skull fractures increase the likelihood of fatalities. The occurrence of skull fractures reduces intracranial pressure, thereby decreasing the incidence of intracranial lesions. The development and effective enforcement of road traffic safety policies and regulations will reduce the incidence of fatalities.

Evaluation of forensic autopsy cases with substance use detected in Izmir, Turkey.

Using postmortem toxicological analyses, we aimed to determine the origin and cause of death and type of substance used in substance use-related deaths. A total of 7475 autopsies were performed between January 2015 and December 2017 in Izmir, Turkey. In our retrospective analysis, substance use was detected in 449 (6.0%) autopsies. The majority (96.4%) were male. The most frequent deaths (18.5%) occurred in the 25-29 age group. Of the 55.2% of the cases that died of unnatural causes, accident-related events (22.9%) were most frequent. Trauma/injury caused death in 37.0% of cases and substance intoxication in 24.7%. Cannabis use was detected in 34.3% of the samples, and multiple substance use in 25.4%. Accordingly, It is thought that a multidisciplinary approach can be successful in preventing substance use and related problems.

Examination of childhood trauma and self-esteem of individuals who applied to the probation office due to substance use.

Substance use is increasing worldwide, and this creates serious social, economic and psychological problems. This study aims to examine the sociodemographic, childhood trauma (CT), self-esteem level and clinical data of individuals diagnosed with substance use disorder (SUD) who applied to the Probation Unit and the control group and it also aims to compare these data. In this prospective cohort study, 73 individuals diagnosed with SUD, and a control group consisting of 73 simple randomly selected healthy individuals. It was determined that the participants in the SUD group had extremely significantly lower self-esteem and had a high level of CT exposure compared to the control group. When all the cases were examined in the study, it was observed that as the level of self-esteem decreased, the rate of exposure of CT was significantly higher. Participants with SUD were more exposed to emotional abuse, physical abuse, physical neglect, and physical abuse compared to control group. It was determined that those with substance use had a high rate of childhood trauma and low self-esteem. In effective fight against substance abuse, it was thought that sociocultural programs should be implemented, and accessibility of these programs should be expanded in order to increase individuals' self-esteem levels.

A study of fatal falls from height.

INTRODUCTION: and Objective: Falling from a height is one of the main causes of blunt force trauma. Frequently seen in accidents or for the purpose of suicide, it can result in disability or death. The aim of this study is to investigate the characteristics of fatalities due to falling from a height. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study retrospectively examines 213 cases of fatal falls from a height that had occurred in and around Elazig province between January 2005 and December 2016. All the victims' autopsies were performed. The cases were reviewed in terms of such variables as gender, age, the month and season in which the incident took place, the cause of the fall, the location of the fall, the height of the fall, the injury site and the cause of death. RESULTS: It was determined that the falls were caused by: Accident in 171 (80.3%) cases, suicide in 41 (19.2%) cases and homicide in 1 (0.5%) case. Of these cases, 144 (67.6%) were men and 69 (32.4%) were women. In our study, the youngest case was aged 9 months while the eldest was 91 years, the average age being 43.6 ±â€¯27.4 years. It was determined that 60.6% of the cases had fallen in their homes. CONCLUSION: In conclusion, it was observed that fatalities from height are mainly the result of an accident and thus preventable. Since fatalities were more common in the aged and in children, it was thought that protective measures should be implemented specifically for these groups such as appropriate planning and family education.

Analysis of Tractor-Associated Fatalities.

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVE: Tractor is regarded as a key equipment in agriculture, and it is also used for transportation and transfer purposes in addition to its agricultural use. Accidents resulting in death in farmlands are frequently encountered. Tractor-related fatalities are the most common ones among the deaths after farm accidents. This study aimed to evaluate the characteristics of tractor-related deaths and to discuss the measures that could be taken to prevent these deaths. METHODS: In this study, 42 cases who underwent postmortem examination and/or autopsy because of tractor fatalities in the province of Elazig between January 2005 and December 2016 were examined retrospectively with such variables as sex, age, month and season of incident, cause of incident, location of incident, position of case, and injured region. RESULTS: Of the cases, 36 (85.7%) were male, and 6 (14.3%) were female. The youngest case was 2 years old, and the oldest case was 83 years old; the mean age was 43.3 ± 25.0 years. Examining the deaths regarding the cause of incident showed that tractor rollover was the most common cause (42.9%). This was followed by being run over by the tractor (19.0%). Of the cases, 24 (57.1%) were drivers, 10 (23.8%) were passengers, and 8 (19.0%) were pedestrians. CONCLUSIONS: Tractor-related fatalities due to tractor rollover are most often seen. To reduce the deaths caused by this reason, drivers should have special training and technical support, use helmets and seatbelts in the tractor, and have a health check at certain intervals (especially the drivers at advanced age).