Keywords
Forensic pathology
Forensic toxicology
Cause of death
How to Cite
Abstract
Objective: This study aims to contribute to the field by examining the characteristics of forensic death cases where no fatal physical traumatic findings were detected.
Methods: A total of 118 forensic autopsies performed at the Department of Forensic Medicine, Sivas University Faculty of Medicine between 2017 and 2022 were retrospectively examined, focusing on the sociodemographic characteristics, medical findings, cause of death, and manner of death in cases where the cause of death was not physical trauma. Descriptive statistical analysis of the obtained data was performed using SPSS v27 software, employing Pearson’s chi-square tests.
Results: It was found that 74.6% (n:88) of the cases were male, with a median age of 47. The 31-40 age group was the most common (19.5%). Traumatic findings were observed in 18.6% of the cases, deaths occurred most frequently in the autumn season (30.5%), and a statistically significant relationship was found between the season of death and trauma findings (p=0.024). A statistically significant correlation (p=0.0046) was found between the rate of initial medical intervention (67.8%) and the rate of hospitalization (16.1%). Regarding the origins of death, 71.2% (n:84) were natural causes and 19.5% (n:23) were accidental.
Conclusion: This study concluded that in most cases where autopsies were performed and no fatal traumatic findings were observed, the cause of death was cardiovascular, neurological, and respiratory system-related diseases
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