Open Access Open Access  Restricted Access Subscription Access
Open Access Open Access Open Access  Restricted Access Restricted Access Subscription Access

An Autopsy Study of Paediatric Fatalities in Central Kolkata, India


Affiliations
1 Department of Forensic Medicine, Murshidabad Medical College, West Bengal, India
2 Department of Forensic Medicine, Medical College Kolkata, India
3 Midnapore Medical College, West Bengal, India
     

   Subscribe/Renew Journal


Childhood deaths are a curse to the society. Every effort should be made to prevent such deaths. During the period 2008 to 2010, 230 autopsies were conducted on subjects up to the age of 18 years at the Kolkata Police Morgue. Majority (52.2%) of them were between 13-18 years and males marginally exceeded the females. Un natural deaths accounted for 80.8% of the fatalities and burn was the leading cause of death followed by road traffic accidents and drowning. The residence of the victims (38.3%) was the commonest place of incidence and most of the events occurred during day time. Increase in the general awareness, level of education and counseling of the parents and children need to be done to prevent such un intentional deaths.

Keywords

Paediatrics, Autopsy, Fatality
Subscription Login to verify subscription
User
Notifications
Font Size


  • Park K. Park’s Textbook of Preventive and Social Medicine. 16th edn. Jabalpur, India: Banarasi Das Bhanot, 2000.
  • Dalal SR, Jadav MV, Deshmukh SD. Autopsy study of paediatric deaths. Indian J Paediatr. 2002; 69(1): 23-25.
  • Kumar V, Jumali IB. Paediatric Deaths in Kuala Lumpur. Med Sci Law. 2006; 46(4): 301-309.
  • Vikram P, Arun M, Prashantha B. Paediatric Fatalities due to trauma. Medico-Legal Update. 2006; 6(4): (2006-10 – 2006-12).
  • Agarwal SS, Sheikh I, Kumar L. Cranio-Cerebral trauma deaths. A postmortem study on 0-15 years age group. JIAFM. 2005; 27(3): 154-158.
  • Meel BL. Mortality of children in the Transkei region of South Africa. The Am J Forensic Med Pathol. 2003; 24(2): 141-147.
  • Meiers S, Baerg J. Farm accidents in children: Eleven years of experience. J Paediatr Surg. 2001; 36(5): 726-729.
  • Rivara FP, Barber M. Demographic analysis of childhood pedestrian injuries. Paediatrics. 1985; 76(3): 375-381.
  • Mukherji G, Chamania S, Patidar GP, Gupta S. Epidemiology of paediatric burns in Indore, India. Burns. 2001; 27(1): 33-38.
  • Gupta M, Gupta OK, Goil P. Paediatric burns in Jaipur, India: an epidemiological study. Burns. 1992; 18(1): 63-67.
  • Ong LX, Goh SH, Ong G, Tyebally A. Paediatric drowning and submersion injuries in Singapore: A five year retrospective study. www.worldconferenceondrowningprevention2011.org accessed on 15.12.2011.
  • Collins KA, Nichols CA. A decade of paediatric homicide: a retrospective study at the Medical University of South Carolina. Am J Forensic Med Pathol. 1999; 20(2): 166-172.
  • Romain N, Michaud K, Horisberger B, Brandt- Casadevall C, Krompecher T, Manquin P. Childhood homicide: a 1990-2000 retrospective study at the Institute of Legal Medicine in Lausanne, Switzerland. Med Sci Law. 2003; 43(3): 203-206.
  • Verma SK. Paediatric and adolescent strangulation deaths. Journal of Forensic and Legal Medicine. 2007; 14(2): 61-64.
  • Ryan CA, Shankowsky HA, Tredget EE. Profile of paediatric burn patients in a Canadian burn centre. Burns. 1992; 18(4): 267-272.
  • Enescu D, Davidescu I, Enescu M. Paediatric burns in Bucharest, Romania; 4327 cases over a 5 year period. Burns. 1994; 20(2): 154-156.
  • Morrow SE, Smith DL, Cairns BA, Howell PD, Nakayama DK. Etiology and outcome of paediatric burns. Journal of Paediatric Surgery. 1996; 31(3): 329-333.
  • Verma SS, Srinivasan S, Vartak AM. An epidemiological study of 500 paediatric burn patients in Mumbai, India. Indian Journal of Plastic Surgery. 2007; 40(2): 153-157.
  • Light TD, Latenser BA, Heinle JA, Stolpen MA, Quinn KA, Ravindran V, Chacko J. Demographics of paediatric burns in Vellore, India. J Burn Care Res. 2009: 30(1): 50-54.
  • Kumar P, Chirayil PT, Chittoria R. Ten years epidemiological study of paediatric burns in Manipal, India. Burns. 2000; 26(3): 261-264.
  • Sala D, Fernandez E, Morant A, Gasco J, Barrios C. Epidemilogical aspects of paediatric multiple trauma in a Spanish urban population. Journal of Paediatric Surgery. 2000; 35(10): 1478-1481.
  • Bristow KM, Carson JB, Warda L, Wartman R. Childhood drowning in Manitoba: A 10 year review of provincial Paediatric Death Review Committee data. Paedistr Child Health. 2002; 7(90): 637-641.
  • Prevention of drowning in infants, children and adolescents. American Academy of Paediatric Committee on Injury, Violence and Poison Prevention. Paediatrics. 2003; 112(2): 437-439.
  • Rahaman A, Mashreky SR, Chowdhury SM, Giashuddin MS, Uhaa IJ, Shafinaz S, Hossain M, Linnan M, Rahaman F. Analysis of the childhood fatal drowning situation in Bangladesh: exploring prevention measures for low-income countries. Inj Prev. 2009; 15(2): 75-79.

Abstract Views: 726

PDF Views: 8




  • An Autopsy Study of Paediatric Fatalities in Central Kolkata, India

Abstract Views: 726  |  PDF Views: 8

Authors

Sauarbh Chattopadhyay
Department of Forensic Medicine, Murshidabad Medical College, West Bengal, India
Biplab Shee
Department of Forensic Medicine, Medical College Kolkata, India
Suddhodhan Batabyal
Midnapore Medical College, West Bengal, India

Abstract


Childhood deaths are a curse to the society. Every effort should be made to prevent such deaths. During the period 2008 to 2010, 230 autopsies were conducted on subjects up to the age of 18 years at the Kolkata Police Morgue. Majority (52.2%) of them were between 13-18 years and males marginally exceeded the females. Un natural deaths accounted for 80.8% of the fatalities and burn was the leading cause of death followed by road traffic accidents and drowning. The residence of the victims (38.3%) was the commonest place of incidence and most of the events occurred during day time. Increase in the general awareness, level of education and counseling of the parents and children need to be done to prevent such un intentional deaths.

Keywords


Paediatrics, Autopsy, Fatality

References