1Assistant Professor, Department of Forensic Medicine, Gandhi Medical College & Hospital, Secunderabad, Telangana
2Associate Professor, Department of Forensic Medicine, Gandhi Medical College & Hospital, Secunderabad, Telangana
*Corresponding author: Dr. Chepyala Lakshman Rao Assistant Professor, Department of Forensic Medicine, Gandhi Medical College & Hospital Secunderabad-500003, Telangana. E Mail: ramanam42@gmail.com
Online published on 13 June, 2016.
Burns are considered as one of the most destructive injuries, which cause not only deaths but also major economic and psychological impacts and long term somatic sequelae. Other than accidental deaths, burns is also one of the common modes of suicides and homicides all over the world.
This retrospective study on 68 autopsied patients whose details of death were collected from the police records, inquest reports, forensic reports and hospital records.
Around three fourths of the cases were women, with 58.4% of the total cases in 21–30 age group. Accidental deaths accounted for 76.5% of the cases, while 22.1% of the patients having more than 90% of burns on their body surface. The days of survival of the burn victims was, 72 hours in most of the cases, out of which many died within 48 hours. The leading cause of death was septicemia.
Burn deaths due to accidents is relatively a preventable phenomenon. Proper care and education on the perils of fire and measures that can be taken to prevent fires could be of great use to curb wastage of human lives.
Burns, autopsy, accidental
