Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
Genel Tip Dergisi, cilt.35, sa.4, ss.759-767, 2025 (Scopus)
Aim: This study aimed to analyze non-fatal forensic chest traumas in terms of demographic characteristics, incident types, injury patterns, and clinical outcomes, and to reveal the relationship between trauma severity and forensic medical reporting processes, thereby contributing to forensic documentation practices. Methods: This retrospective descriptive study included thoracic trauma cases who presented to the Forensic Medicine Outpatient Clinic of the Faculty of Medicine at Eskişehir Osmangazi University for medico-legal reporting between 01.01.2021 and 31.12.2023. Out of a total of 3,965 forensic cases, 227 thoracic trauma cases were included in the study. Data were obtained from forensic reports, medical records, and the hospital automation system. The cases were evaluated based on parameters such as age, gender, type and mechanism of the incident, type of injury, presence of bone fracture, life-threatening condition, and treatment method. Statistical analyses were performed using SPSS 29.0, with a significance level set at p<0.05. Results: Of the cases, 76.7% were male and 23.3% were female, with a mean age of 39.56±17.11 years. The most common incident type was traffic accidents (72.2%). Blunt traumas accounted for 85% of the cases, while 15% were penetrating injuries. The most frequent injury was rib fracture (43.6%), followed by lung tissue injury (36.1%). Bone fractures were detected in 78.4% of cases, and 52% had a life-threatening condition. The rate of rib fractures was significantly higher in females (p=0.029). Surgical intervention was performed in 31.3% of cases. Conclusions: This study shows that forensic chest traumas are predominantly due to blunt mechanisms, mainly traffic accidents. Bone fractures, lung injuries, and accompanying extra-thoracic injuries indicate the severity of trauma. These findings highlight the importance of a multidisciplinary approach in the forensic medical evaluation and demonstrate that trauma severity can influence the medico-legal reporting and subsequent legal process.