Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
3. Uluslararası ve 19. Ulusal Adli Bilimler Kongresi, Aydın, Türkiye, 3 - 06 Kasım 2022, ss.240-241, (Özet Bildiri)
Objective: Firearm injuries are a globally significant public health problem. According to the 2012 American Academy of Pediatrics data, one out of every three deaths in childhood and one out of every four deaths in the adolescent age group in the United States is due to gunshot wounds. Our study aims to raise awareness about firearm injuries, a preventable cause of death, by discussing deaths due to firearm injuries in children in the light of similar studies in the national and international literature.
Materials and Methods: The files of the cases under 18 who underwent autopsy due to firearm injuries between January 1, 2010, and January 01, 2022, by the Eskişehir Forensic Medicine Branch were reviewed retrospectively. Data such as sociodemographic information of the cases, where the incident occurred, the type of injury, the type of firearm, the person to whom the weapon belonged, the location of the damage, and the shooting distance were evaluated.
Results: Twelve (80.0%) of the subjects in the study group were male, and 3 (20.0%) were female, with a mean age (SD) of 13.1±(5.4) and a median of 15.0. The most common type of injury; is brain hemorrhage, brain tissue destruction, and skull fracture (n=11; 19.3%). It was determined that the incident occurred most frequently in the house (n=8; 53.3%), then in the forest area (n=3; 20%), and on the street or street (n=3; 20%). While 10 cases (66.7%) did not receive medical treatment, 5 (33.3%) received treatment. Origins of the cases; murder (n=6; 40%), accident (n=5; 33.3%) and suicide (n=4; 36.7%). It was determined that the person to whom the firearm used in the incident belonged was the father of the child who died most frequently (n=10; 66.6%).
Conclusion: Firearm injuries are a preventable cause of death in children and adolescents. It is noteworthy that the weapon used in our study mostly belonged to the father. In this context, it is essential not to have firearms in homes with children and to take security measures if necessary