Pattern of gunshot deaths in a Nigerian Tertiary Health Institution
Journal Title: Internet Journal of Medical Update - Year 2016, Vol 11, Issue 2
Abstract
The present study was aimed to determine the pattern of injuries, manner of death, and demographic parameters of gunshot deaths in a Nigerian teaching hospital. This was a prospective descriptive autopsy study of gunshot deaths seen in the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan, over a period of twelve months from January to December 2006. All the coroner autopsies for the period involving gunshot deaths were reviewed with emphasis on the sex, age, occupation, circumstances surrounding the event, manner of death, likely motive in cases of homicidal or suicidal gunshot, type of gun used and site(s) of injury. Gunshot deaths formed eleven (1.6%) of the 697 coroner cases performed at UCH in 2006. Ten of the 11 cases were male, and the overall age range was 10-60 years. The manner of death in ten of such cases was homicide, and unascertained in one case. Rifled weapons were used in 64% of the cases and shotguns, illegally acquired, accounted for the remaining 36%. Most were victims of armed robbery attacks. The head, abdomen, chest and lower limbs were sites of injuries in descending order of frequency. Gunshot deaths were the commonest form of homicide in the period under review. Young males and victims of armed robbery attacks are most susceptible. It is important to note the absence of suicidal gunshot deaths in this study.
Authors and Affiliations
UO Aze, EEU Akang, WO Odesanmi
Keywords
Related Articles
- EP ID EP314548
- DOI 10.4314/ijmu.v11i2.6
- Views 95
- Downloads 0
Assessment of medical students by OSPE method in pathology
Objective structured practical examination (OSPE) is a practical exam system wherein there is a series of stations at which students work through tasks designed to test various skills and are tested using agreed check li...
Hypertension prevalence and awareness among a health workforce in Nigeria
Hypertension is now being widely reported in Africa and it is a major factor in the high mortality of adults in sub-Saharan Africa. Unfortunately hypertension is often unnoticed and undiagnosed because it is usually asym...
THE ROLE OF NANOTECHNOLOGY IN MOLECULAR IMAGING BY USING FLUORESCENT QUANTUM DOTS
Giant strides in knowledge about nanoparticles have lead to the development of sophisticated fluorescent quantum dots that have enhanced our understanding of the disease process as well as the healing mechanism following...
Stem cells and liver disease
Liver transplantation is the primary treatment for various end-stage hepatic diseases but is hindered by the lack of donor organs, complications associated with rejection and immunosuppression. An increasingly unbridgeab...
Depressed patients seen at the University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH): a six-year review
The contribution of depression to disease burden is enormous and is even expected to increase. Patients, caregivers and indeed society suffer on account of depression. Data was obtained from the case files of 152 depress...