title: Pattern of coroner's autopsies at Health Sciences Authority, Singapore: a retrospective study (2009-2010).
abstract: Within a two-year period between 2009 and 2010, the Forensic Medicine Division of the Health Sciences Authority conducted a total of 3560 autopsies on cases reported to the coroner. This retrospective study reviews the type and distribution of these cases, and serves as a pilot study for future analysis of the various subgroups. Nearly half of these deaths (48.93%) are a result of natural disease processes, of which a cardiac cause by far predominates (64.64%), followed by diseases of the respiratory (16.92%) and central nervous (5.28%) systems. Of the deaths by unnatural means (51.07%), a substantial number of these deaths are consequent to fall from height, i.e. off a building (35.86%), with a smaller proportion of death arising from traffic and industrial accidents (17.60%), asphyxia (14.25%) and short distance falls (11.00%). Fall from height is the leading mode of suicide in this densely populated urban city where 85% of the population reside in high-rise apartments.
authors.affiliation: Health Sciences Authority, Forensic Medicine Division, Singapore. marian_wang@hsa.gov.sg
authors.forename: Marian
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Chi-Keong
authors.initials: CK
authors.lastname: Ching
mesh_terms: D000059:Accidents / Q000401:mortality; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001344:Autopsy / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D002423:Cause of Death; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003334:Coroners and Medical Examiners; D005554:Forensic Medicine; D006708:Homicide / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012846:Singapore / Q000453:epidemiology; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000401:mortality; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000401:mortality; D055815:Young Adult