Background While standard data on drowning reported by the World Health Organization (WHO) fails to provide a reliable picture of burden in Finland, they suggest that rates are much higher than those other industrialized countries.

Medicolegal autopsies are a vital tool for obtaining reliable injury mortality data. In Finland, medicolegal have increased from 13.6% of all deaths in 1970 to 23.8% 2004. fact, performed 87.2% unintentional deaths, 98.3% homicides and 99.5% suicides. Finland has exceedingly high autopsy rates compared with other countries. Autopsy should be appropriately considered when performing international comparisons injury-related deaths.

Drowning without aspiration of liquid, generally attributed to death from asphyxia while submerged and in laryngospasm, has been reported occur approximately 10% 15% drowning victims.The occurrence "dry-drowning" recently questioned the hypothesis developed that "dry-lungs" bodies found dead water could conceal more natural deaths than previously recognized.Based on 578 selected adult victims who presumably drowned, we analyzed correlation between cases with a low combined lung/pleura liquid...

The diagnosis of drowning relies primarily on critical examination the subject's individual characteristics, circumstances, and postmortem macropathologic changes. In this retrospective study, based 1590 consecutive cases bodies found in water undergoing autopsy at Department Forensic Medicine, University Helsinki, from 1976 to 1998, frequency circumstantial data changes crucial for were determined. fatal events eyewitnessed 403 (25.3%), suicide notes 83 (5.2%). External foam, frothy fluid...

Alcohol is a well-known risk factor in unintentional drownings. Whereas psychotropic drugs, like alcohol, may cause psychomotor impairment and affect cognition, no detailed studies have focused on their association with drowning. Finland provides extensive post-mortem toxicological data for drowning because of its high medico-legal autopsy rates.Drowning cases, 2000 through 2009, which analysis was performed, came from the database Toxicological Laboratory, Department Forensic Medicine,...

Abstract Background The systematic collection of high-quality mortality data is a prerequisite in designing relevant drowning prevention programmes. This descriptive study aimed to assess the quality (i.e., level specificity) cause-of-death reporting using ICD-10 codes across 69 countries. Methods World Health Organization (WHO) were extracted for analysis. proportion unintentional deaths coded as unspecified at 3-character (ICD-10 code W74) and which place occurrence was 4 th character (.9)...

Background We report the incidence and mortality of paediatric drowning incidents according to 'Utstein Style for Drowning' guidelines. Methods Retrospective study including all drowned children under 16 years age who were hospitalised or died with without attempted cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) between 1997 2007 in province Uusimaa, Finland. Survival rates provided at hospital discharge after 1-year follow-up period are reported. Results A total 58 either admitted intensive care unit...

To examine age- and sex-specific mortality rates trends in water traffic accidents (WTA), their association with alcohol, Finland.National population data from Finland, 1969-1995, are used to analyse trends. The calculated on the basis of population, per 100000 inhabitants each age group (<1, 1-4, 5-14, 15-24, 25-44, 45-64, > or = 65), analysed by sex age. Poisson regression model chi2 test for trend (EGRET StatXact softwares) time trends.From 1969 through 1995 there were 3473...

In Finland, the high rates of forensic autopsy and postmortem toxicology furnish a reliable base for nation-wide studies on alcohol-related violent deaths.National mortality population data within from 1987 to 1996, were used analyze sex- age-specific rates, proportions, trends deaths associated with alcohol. Deaths defined as when alcohol was certified contributing factor death.During study period, 10,360 (23.3%) 45,544 that occurred alcohol-related. Among 15- 64-year-olds, 28.6% accidents,...

The increasing international mobility raises the possibility of foreign nationals dying abroad. Here, a descriptive, retrospective and population-based study deaths abroad among Finnish residents from 1969 to 2007 is presented. data were collected Statistics Finland based on certificates cause death issued after repatriation corpse review medical documents or medico-legal autopsy. frequency injury deaths, proportional mortality rates (PMRs) risk estimates (MREs) measured. During period, 6894...

The International Classification of Diseases (ICD) external codes (E codes) for drowning assist in determining the primary event leading to drowning, but do not alone allow precise determination overall rates.To analyze sensitivity ICD E drowning. To describe pattern and trend deaths that are classified with other than drowning.Finland, 1969-2000.Mortality files Statistics Finland were searched electronically using injury (I Cross analysis I coded drownings was performed determine rate cases...

Self-inflicted eye injuries among psychiatric patients are relatively common. Transorbital penetrating traumas more rare but if undiagnosed may cause lethal intracranial lesions. We report a fatal case of 25-year-old schizophrenic man who introduced plastic ballpoint pen through his right orbit up to the cerebellum. The computed tomography findings were misinterpreted as track from bullet. patient died 4 days after trauma, and causative object was identified only at autopsy. When no precise...

Post-mortem (PM) ethanol production may hamper the interpretation of blood alcohol concentration (BAC) in victims drowning. Different exclusion criteria (e.g. cases with low BAC or protracted interval between death and toxicological analysis) have been proposed no factual figures to reduce potential bias due PM when examining prevalence rates for alcohol-related The aim this study is verify extent which affect accuracy studies on drowning alcohol. Unintentional fatal (n = 967) a full...

To this day, autopsies and dissections have been essential in medical education, but declining autopsy numbers endangered long-standing tradition. Students' perceptions of these teaching methods should be constantly updated to help educators understand how achieve their goals. The purpose study was explore the state autopsy- dissection-based two Finnish universities based on experiences students, survey such teaching, compare situation with students' other countries as it emerges from...

Drowning is one of the leading causes death when manner remains undetermined. In present study, we examined epidemiological and medico-legal profile 276 undetermined deaths (M:F = 3.4:1; mean age 41.9 ± 16.0 SD) among 1,707 consecutive bodies found in water autopsied at Department Forensic Medicine, University Helsinki, from 1976 to 2000. We also describe differences between police investigator's initial opinion forensic pathologist's certification, different approaches pathologists...