An autopsy-based study of death due to road traffic accidents in metropolis of Karachi.

OBJECTIVE To study the demographic distribution of the victims of road traffic accidents that were presented for medico-legal autopsy in Karachi, identify fatal injuries, the identity of road users autopsied and the month-wise variation in performing autopsies. METHODS Descriptive cross-sectional study of autopsies conducted at the mortuaries of Civil Hospital Karachi, Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre and Abbasi Shaheed Hospital between March 1,2008 and February 28, 2009. Bodies brought in by police for partial/external autopsy were excluded. Data was collected on pre-designed proformas and was statistically analysed using SPSS 15. RESULTS Of the total 2090 autopsies performed in Karachi, 581 (27.8%) cases were victims of RTA. Of these RTA victims, 324 (55.8%) autopsies were of those between the ages of 19 and 40 years. There were 510 (87.8%) males and 71 (12.2%) females with a ratio of male: female being 7:1.This ratio was 4.2:1 for those aged 0-18 years and 11:1 for those aged 19-40 years (p = 0.05). Death was due to injury to the head in 386 (66.4%) victims, to the chest in 84 (14.5%) cases, multiple traumatic injuries in 50 (8.6%) and pelvis in 17 (2.9%) cases. The majority of the victims on whom autopsy was performed were pedestrians (n = 389, 67%) followed by motorcyclists (n = 122, 21%). On an average 48.4 +/- 7.46 autopsies were performed every month, and there was no statistically significant variation in autopsies on this count. CONCLUSION There was a male preponderance, but the significant differences in two age groups need to be correlated with the incidence of RTAs in each sex in that age group and the compliance levels of getting females autopsied.