Fire-related fatalities in Istanbul, Turkey: analysis of 320 forensic autopsy cases

In this retrospective autopsy study fire-related deaths whose autopsies were carried out in the Council of Forensic Medicine in Istanbul, Turkey were analyzed in order to evaluate the relationship between the mode of the death and the laboratory and autopsy findings. There were 320 fire-related fatalities constituting the 2.07% of all autopsy cases of that period. Of the 320 cases 228 (71.3%) were males and 91 (28.4%) were females, average age in age-determined group was 36.6 (SD: 21.98) ranging from 8 months to 98 years. Carbon monoxide intoxication played role in death of 104 cases (32.5%) either directly or together with other factors such as burning and lack of oxygen. In 32 cases (10.0%) burning was the only cause of death and in 90 cases (28.1%) burning and related complications during treatment period caused death. In 35 cases (10.9%) traumatic factors other than those related to fire were responsible for death. There were 31 cases of homicide (9.7%) and 20 cases of suicide (6.3%). Accidents constituted the majority of the cases in our autopsy population with a frequency of 51.9%. The relationship between the presence of soot in trachea or esophagus and the mode of death and that of CO-Hb and the mode of death was statistically significant. The internal findings and laboratory data of the study population were discussed particularly on the basis of the decision of vitality in burned cases.