Submersion cases in city of Aydin

Aim and hypothesis: Aim in this study is to examine the submersion cases which were found in the 6 years period 2004-2009 in Aydin, retrospectively and to discuss the differences with the studies that were done about this same subject in our country and worldwide.Material and method: Data was obtained from the archive of Adnan Menderes University Medical Faculty Department of Forensic Medicine. Distribution by time, social and demographic data like as age, gender, nationality, characteristics of the area and water supply that the bodies recovered from, autopsy rate, speciality of the death body, autopsy and histopathological findings, cause of death, origin were evaluated.Findings: There were a total of 125 submersion cases and 104 of them were drowned. These cases make up 7.56% and 6.29% of all forensic autopsies and death examinations, respectively. 83.2% of all the cases were male and 16.0% were female. Summer was the season that more than the half of the cases were seen. In the distribution of age groups; 21-30 age group was the highest with a rate of 20.8% and 0-10 age group was the second with 14.4%. 44.8% of all the cases were recovered from sea and 37.6% of them from lake, dam, river or irrigation canel. An autopsy by forensic medicine specialist was done in the 93.6% of all the cases. Putrefactive changes was advanced in 21 (16.8%) cases. External foam was determined in 40.38% of the drowned cases. According to autopsy data; there were not liquid aspiration finding in only 3.75% of the 80 cases that were died due to submersion (wet or dry drowning without any other factor). There was not histopathological examination in 88.0% of the autopsies. 86 (68.8%) cases were died due to drowning unaccompanied and 18 (14.4%) were died due to drowning and other factors together. In 15 (12.0%) cases, although recovered from water, there were no finding that point at they were drowned. According to origin of the cases; accident take the first place with a rate of 79.2%. Suicide was the origin in only 1 (0.8%) case.Conclusion: As in the world and different regions of our country submersion cases take an important place in Aydin also. Although the cause of death is drowning and the origin is accident in most cases, other causes and origins also must be beared in mind.Key words: Submersion, drowning, autopsy.Contact address: Dr.Hüseyin Özgür ALAÇAMAdnan Menderes University Medical FacultyDepartment of Forensic Medicine - AydinTel: 0.256.2142040 ( Internal: 4350, 4586 )Fax: 0.256.2134816E mail: drozguralacam@yahoo.com