Hüseyin Kafadar

Suicides in adolescence: A twelve-year study from Eastern Turkey

Suicide is a form of behavior brought about by a combination of biological, psychological, and social factors and the adverse effects of those factors on individuals, their surroundings, society, and subsequent generations. In this study, attention is focused on the increase in adolescent suicides in Elazig and the surrounding province. The probable suicide cases among adolescent deaths that occurred in Eastern Turkey between 2001 and 2012 were examined retrospectively. A total of 67 cases were evaluated in terms of age, sex, method of death, death location, and the time of the year at which death occurred. Of the 67 study cases, 40 were female (59.70%) and 27 were male (40.29%). When the methods of suicide were analyzed, it was found that hanging came in first place with 34 cases (50.74%), followed by death using a firearm with 27 cases (40.29%). Other types of death were self-poisoning in four cases (5.97%) and jumping from a height in two cases (2.98%). According to this study, there are common risk factors both for suicidal thoughts and suicide attempts. Defining the prevalence of suicidal thoughts leading to suicide attempts, determining the risk factors, and evaluating the relationship between those factors and mental disorders will enable society to develop new approaches to suicidal behavior.

Comparison of internal organ injuries by blunt abdominal trauma in rats with empty or full stomach

BACKGROUND The aim of the study was to investigate if there was a difference in injury in intra-abdominal viscera due to blunt abdominal trauma sustained by rats with empty or full stomach and to examine which viscera is affected most, based on the direction of the trauma. METHODS Since there is no data in the literature on the force of trauma, a pilot study was carried out before commencing the experimental study. An apparatus was built to determine the trauma force that would not cause sudden death, and rats were allowed free fall from a height of 40 and 45 cm so that they would land on their abdomen. The most appropriate force of trauma (F=69.978 N) and absorbed energy (E=½mv2=0.979 Joules) were obtained in rats weighing 250 g that fell from a height of 40 cm. RESULTS Thirty six rats were included in the study and separated into six groups. Any statistically significant differences between groups with regard to the stomach being empty or full during trauma and its direction were examined (anterior, right/left sided). CONCLUSION It was observed that there were differences in injuries sustained by the internal organs depending on the fullness or emptiness of the stomach and the direction of the trauma.

Sudden death following periorbital pellet injury

Purpose: To report an uneventful sudden death because of a periorbital pellet injury. Method: Review of autopsy findings. Results: A 20-year-old hunter was shot accidentally during hunting. At autopsy, the body showed no significant injuries or deformity except for the pellet injuries and ecchymosis on the medial side of the left lower eyelid. Skull roentgenography located a pellet in the base of the cranium. Upon craniotomy, the cause of death was diagnosed as subarachnoidal haemorrhage due to incomplete basilar artery injury. The pellet entered through the medial cantus, passed through the inferior orbital fissure than the sphenooccipital junction and basilar artery and lodged in the pons. Conclusion: A-high index of suspicion is required in order to detect an intracranial extension in periorbital injuries.

Düşmeye Bağlı Yaralanmaların Adli Tıp Açısından Değerlendirilmesi

Falls are one of the leading causes of admission to emergency and deaths. There is more than one classification of the falls. In this study we classified falls according to height of the falls: High level (>5 meters) and low level (<5 meters). We didn’t include flat ground falls to our study. In this study, we reviewed 1218 fall cases retrospectively between January 2000 to December 2004 including 779 men and 439 women whose average age is 22.2 + 22.9 (the youngest is 1 age and the oldest is 95 age) years at Firat Medical Center. Nine hundred twenty seven of these cases are low level falls and 213 are high level falls. Of these falls, the level of the fall was not specified in 78 cases. The cases are evaluated according to the sex, age, age groups, the level of fall, simple medical intervention, life threatening, Glasgow Coma Score (GKS), injured body part, mortality and monthly timeframe. Sex and age differences are not significant according to the high and low level fallings (p = 0.1). 37.6% of high level falls are lile threatening compared to 20.4% of low level falls (p=0.0001). Similarly the Glasgow Coma Scores were poorer in high level falls compared to low level falls. The falls are most prevalent among children (59.2%) and lower among adults (32.7%) and elderly (8.1%). We conclude that the falls should be handled with care because of mortality and morbidity risk and burden to health system. It is often seen at childhood therefore the families have to be educated for preventive measures. Also, it is necessary to take some security precautions at the windows and balconies.Keywords: Falling, height, life threatening, glasgow coma score.Düflmeye ba¤l› yaralanmalar; acil servise baflvurmalarda ve yaralanmalara ba¤l› ölümlerde önde gelen nedenlerden biridir. Düflmeler de¤iflik flekillerde s›n›fland›r›lmaktad›r. Çal›flmam›zda, yüksek seviyeden (≥5metre) ve alçak seviyeden (<5metre) düflme fleklinde olan s›n›fland›rma kullan›ld›. Düz zemindeki düflmeler çal›flmam›za dahil edilmedi. Bu çal›flmada F›rat Üniversitesi, F›rat T›p Merkezine Ocak 2000-Aral›k 2004 y›llar› aras›nda baflvuran 779’u erkek, 439’u kad›n, yafl ortalamas› 22.2±22.9 (en küçük 1, en büyük 95 yafl) olan toplam 1218 düflme olgusu retrospektif olarak incelendi. Olgular›n, 927’si alçak, 213’ü yüksek, 78’i ise bilinmeyen bir seviyeden düflmüfltür. Olgular; cinsiyet, yafl, yafl gruplar›, düflme seviyesi, basit t›bbi müdahale, yaflamsal tehlike, Glasgow Koma Skoru (GKS), yaralanan vücut bölgesi, mortalite oran›, aylara göre da¤›l›m› aç›s›ndan de¤erlendirildi. Yüksek ve alçak seviyeden düflme aç›s›ndan cinsiyet ve yafl fark› tespit edilmedi (p=0.1). Yüksek seviyeden düflmelerde yaflamsal tehlikeye maruz kalma %37.6 iken, alçak seviyeden düflmelerde ise bu oran›n %20.4 oldu¤u saptand› (p=0.0001). Benzer flekilde yüksek seviyeden düflmelerde GKS’nin, alçak seviyeden düflmelere göre daha düflük puanlarda oldu¤u belirlendi (p=0.0001). Düflmelerin pediatrik yafl grubunda (%59.2) daha yüksek, eriflkin (%32.7) ve yafll›larda (%8.1) daha düflük oldu¤u tespit edildi. Sonuç olarak; düflmeler mortalite ve morbidite riski tafl›malar› ve sa¤l›k sistemine önemli bir yük getirmeleri aç›s›ndan dikkate al›nmal›d›r. Pediatrik yafl grubunda s›kl›kla görülmesinden dolay›; anne baba e¤itimi, oyun esnas›nda çocu¤un gözetlenmesi, pencere ve balkonlarda güvenli¤i sa¤layacak önlemlerin al›nmas› gerekmektedir. Anahtar kelimeler: Düflme, yükseklik, yaflamsal tehlike, glasgow koma skoru.