TY  - JOUR
TI  - Deaths due to Lightning Strikes: A Retrospective Study of a Ten-year Period (2007-2017)
AB  - Objective: Lightning is a major reason for weather-related deaths and injuries. The risk of being struck by lightning is higher for those whowork outdoors.Methods: In this retrospective study, 19 lightning-related deaths between 2007 and 2017, which were obtained from the archives of Council ofForensic Medicine Trabzon Group Chairmanship, were evaluated.Results: The age range of the cases was between 8 and 75 years and 15 of them were male. Nine of the cases were a shepherd. The numberof the cases went to the top in June with nine cases and 17 of the decedents were found in outdoor spaces. On the external examinations ofeight cases (42%), there was a Lichtenberg figure. The electrical entrance regions were the head and neck in 10 cases (53%). Bleeding, contusionsand lacerations, especially in the lungs and brain, were considered to be due to the blast effect of the lightning. Subepidermal/suprabasaldissociation, spindle appearance in epithelial cells of epidermis and dermal appendages, intraepidermal vesicles and collagen denaturationwere detected in microscopic examinations.Conclusion: Lightning is an airborne event that may cause death in outdoor environments. After a lightning strike, a Lichtenberg figure can beseen on external examination, and macroscopic bleeding in the lungs and brain can be observed on internal examination. It will be beneficialto provide basic awareness training on lightning strike risks for the whole society, especially for shepherds and agricultural workers, to reducethe deaths due to lightning strikes, the exact death causes of which can be determined through autopsies.
AU  - AYDOĞDU, HALİL İLHAN
AU  - Altınok, Mehmet
AU  - Beyhun, Nazim Ercument
AU  - cakir, emel
AU  - Ketenci, Huseyin Cetin
DO  - 10.17986/blm.1457
PY  - 2021
JO  - Adli Tıp Bülteni
VL  - 26
IS  - 1
SN  - 1300-865X
SP  - 33
EP  - 39
DB  - TRDizin
UR  - http://search/yayin/detay/447093
ER  -