Retrospective Study of Analysis of Cardiac Injuries in Autopsied Hearts at a Centre in South India

Authors

  • Srishti Mukhi Undergraduate Student,Department of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology, Kasturba Medical College, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal
  • Shankar M Bakkannavar Associate Professor, Department of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology, Kasturba Medical College, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal
  • Vinod C Nayak Professor, Department of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology, Kasturba Medical College, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal

Keywords:

Cardiac Injuries, Traumatic Blunt-Force Injuries, Road Traffic Accidents, ubendocardial Hemorrhage, Hyperemic Area

Abstract

Background: Morbidity and mortality related to cardiac injuries are serious health concerns  worldwide. The cardiac injuries could be due to traumatic blunt-force injuries or due to natural events  such as injuries secondary to ischemia and infarction. The most prevalent type of lethal injuries is due to  physical trauma. Cardiovascular injuries due to natural events constitute 31% of total cardiac injuries.  Aim: The aim of this retrospective study was to give an overview of the trends in cardiac injury  epidemiology in Manipal during 2011 to 2015. Materials and Methodology: The research was conducted  in the Department of Forensic Medicine, Kasturba Medical College, Manipal. All cases due to cardiac  injuries between 2011 and 2015 were included in this study. The data collected included age, sex, and  type of cardiac injury, which was tabulated and analyzed for descriptive statistics using Statistical  Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 20. Results: Cardiac injuries constituted 35.8% of the total  number of autopsies that were conducted during the study period. 80.5% of the victims were male.  Maximum number of victims were from the 3rd decade of life. Most of the cardiac injuries (38.4%) were  caused by road traffic accidents. The most frequent cardiac abnormality seen in our study was  subendocardial hemorrhage, 38.6 % of the total cardiac injuries. Due to traumatic events, the most  frequent cardiac injury seen was contusion, 5.4% and lacerations, 4.1% of injuries. Hyperemic area was  seen in 13% and white patch in 12.4% of cases. The most commonly occluded artery was the left anterior  descending artery, 53.4%. The time interval between the occurrence of the incident and death of the  victim ranged from few minutes to 2 months. Discussion: The findings of this study give us an insight to  the pattern and magnitude of deaths due to cardiac injuries in a South Indian region, given that only a  very low percentage of the patients who sustain cardiac injury reach hospital alive. The injury pattern  helps the clinician and other researchers to concentrate on these injured parts while treating and  conducting research, respectively. Conclusion: More autopsy studies should be conducted to define the  characteristics of population based cardiac injuries. 

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Published

2019-01-03

How to Cite

Retrospective Study of Analysis of Cardiac Injuries in Autopsied Hearts at a Centre in South India . (2019). Journal of Indian Academy of Forensic Medicine, 40(4), 361–368. Retrieved from https://acspublisher.com/journals/index.php/jiafm/article/view/7790