Tarık Uluçay

The importance of medico-legal evaluation in a case with intraabdominal gossypiboma

Data concerning the incidence of gossypiboma tend to fluctuate and is difficult to estimate because of a low reporting rate lest medico-legal implication. Gossypiboma is frequently located in the abdominal and pelvic cavities after gynecologic and upper abdominal surgical operations but can also follow thoracic, orthopedic, and urological and neurosurgical procedures. In medical literature, there are few articles about the medico-legal evaluation of gossypiboma although it is typically subjected to a medico-legal process. In this article, we reported a 22-year-old female case with intraabdominal gossypiboma following a cesarean procedure and discussed the importance of medico-legal evaluation of gossypiboma.

Comparison of the effects of two legal blood alcohol limits: the presence of alcohol in traffic accidents according to category of driver in Izmir, Turkey

Objectives: Under existing Turkish road traffic law, there are 2 different blood alcohol concentration (BAC) limits allowed for drivers in 2013: zero blood alcohol and ≤0.50 g/L. All public transport, taxi, commercial, and official vehicle drivers must maintain a zero blood alcohol concentration while driving. Private vehicle drivers must maintain a BAC of 0.50 g/L or lower. The aim of the recent study was to evaluate the effect of these 2 legal blood alcohol limits on nonfatal traffic accidents that occurred due to the driver being under the influence of alcohol. Methods: This retrospective study was performed to evaluate the blood alcohol concentration of 224 drivers in nonfatal road accidents between June 2010 and July 2011 using headspace gas chromatography at the Izmir Forensic Medicine Group Presidency, Turkey. All cases evaluated by the toxicology department were entered into a database. We used descriptive statistics, χ2 test, and independent sampling test to analyze the data. Results: The total number of drivers involved in nonfatal traffic accidents was 224; 191 were private vehicle drivers and 33 were public transport, taxi, commercial, and official vehicle drivers. In the present study, alcohol was detected in the blood of about 27.2% (n = 61) of the 224 drivers. Sixty (31.4%) private vehicle drivers involved in nonfatal traffic accidents tested positive for alcohol. BAC values were also above the legal limit (0.50 g/L) in 27.7% (n = 53) of private vehicle drivers. However, the BAC was above the legal limit in only 3% (n = 1) of public transport, commercial, and official vehicle drivers involved in nonfatal traffic accidents. These results showed that private vehicle drivers subject to a BAC limit of ≤0.50 g/L were significantly associated with an increased risk of nonfatal accident involvement than drivers subject to a zero BAC limit (odds ratio [OR] = 12.29, 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.64–92.22; Fishers exact test, P <.001). Mean BAC in private vehicle drivers subject to a 0.50 g/L level (52.60 mg/dl ± 94.84) was significantly higher than that of drivers subject to a zero alcohol level (10.76 mg/dl ± 61.80; t = 2.44, P <.001). Conclusion: In light of our results, lowering the BAC limit for private vehicle drivers may reduce the level of driving under the influence of alcohol. A change in the law will decrease the rates of alcohol-related road accidents in Turkey.

Kesici Delici Alet Yaralanması ile İlişkili Saldırıların Analizi Manisa’da On Yıllık Deneyim

Although stab wounds associated with interpersonal violence are accepted as one of major problems in many countries, their incidence in Turkey has not been determined yet. The aims of this study were: to analyze the incidents associated with stab wounds and features of victims and offenders; to compare with previously reported data; and to identify preventive measures appropriate for Turkey. Two hundred and thirty eight cases of assault by stab were evaluated in Forensic Medicine Outpatient Clinic of Celal Bayar University Hospital between 2002 and 2012. Most of the victims and offenders were males (94.5%; 96.5%, respectively) aged between 20-39 years (60.1%; 67.3%, respectively). Most of stab wounds were inflicted by knives/penknives (81%). Assaults mostly occurred on streets (40.3%) and public areas (36.2%) and during night hours (31.1%). Most ofthe injuries were soft tissue injuries (73.8%) and the most commonly affected structures were intrathoracic organs and/or vessels (40.8%). Ofthe victims 37.4% were exposed to life-threatening acts, while 21% of them sustained various sequels. The actual solution of assaults associated with stab wounds in the control of crime prevention involves educational, socio-cultural and economic efforts; enforcing the legislations against carrying knives and increasing police controls in streets and public places, especially in nights.Key words: Violence, wounds, stab, crime, forensic medicine