Carbon monoxide-related deaths in Ankara between 2001 and 2011.
OBJECTIVE
The aim of the present study was to describe the epidemiology of unintentional carbon monoxide (CO) poisonings (between 2001 and 2011) in Ankara, Turkey.


METHODS
Data were collected from the records of Ankara Branch of Council of Forensic Medicine and the licensed official institutes and hospitals for medico-legal autopsies. A total of 10,720 medico-legal autopsy reports were obtained and reviewed by the authors.


RESULTS
Among 622 fatal poisoning cases during the period, 380 deaths were due to unintentional CO poisoning. The mean CO saturation of the groups was 55.4 ± 13.4 (% saturation). The minimum and maximum levels of CO in blood was 3.6 and 86.5 (% saturation), respectively. Of all the fatal poisonings determined by Ankara Branch of Council of Forensic Medicine, CO poisoning was the most common mortality cause (61.1%). Among the cases, 301 (79.2%) were found to be death in their houses, 43 (11.3%) in hospitals, 15 (3.9%) in their workplaces and 11 (2.9%) in some public places such as park and garden. Most of the cases were from the capital city of Turkey, Ankara (n = 203, 53.4%). When we compared the cities according to their population, it was realized that the highest death rate due to CO poisoning was in Kirikkale (12.3/100,000), followed by Karabuk (8.3/100,000), Cankiri (7.8/100,000) and Kirsehir (5.0/100,000).


CONCLUSIONS
These findings add new data to the pool of knowledge in terms of the need of safety, proper heating system instructions and more education on CO poisoning in Turkey.
Department of Forensic Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Dicle University, Diyarbakir, Turkey. drcemuysal@gmail.com
Cem
C
Uysal
Safa
S
Celik
Aynur
A
Duzgun Altuntas
Eyup
E
Kandemir
Mehmet
M
Kaya
Mustafa
M
Karapirli
Sevilay
S
Sezer
Omer
O
Akyol
D000059:Accidents / Q000401:mortality*; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002248:Carbon Monoxide / Q000097:blood; D002249:Carbon Monoxide Poisoning / Q000097:blood / Q000401:mortality*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D014421:Turkey / Q000453:epidemiology; D055815:Young Adult
D002248:Carbon Monoxide