SPECTRUM OF MEDICOLEGAL AUTOPSIES IN A TERTIARY CARE CENTER IN ANDAMAN AND NICOBAR ISLANDS : CAUSES AND TRENDS OVER TWO DECADES.

Abstract

Introduction: Deaths can be due to natural and unnatural causes. While the trend in natural deaths in an area reects the prevalent healthcare practices in an area, the pattern of unnatural deaths in an area conforms with the psychosocial, environmental and mental health. This was a retrospective study of autopsies conducted at a te Material And Methods: rtiary care hospital in Andaman and Nicobar islands over a period of 20 years from 1995-2015. The demographic data was collected from the institutional register. Record and analysis were done using MS Excel. Out of total of 3374 deaths, males Results: were 72.8% and females were 27.2%. Majority of deaths were in the productive age group of 20-39 years (46.5%). Cardiovascular deaths comprised maximum cases of natural deaths (59.8%). Hanging was the most common cause of unnatural death (25.1%) followed by RTA (17.4%). Amongst deaths due to RTA, male to female ratio was 2.5:1. However, deaths due to burns showed a higher predominance in females with female to male ratio of 6.4:1. Medicolegal Conclusion: proling of autopsy provides an important statistical measure to gauge the causes and patterns of untimely loss of human life. Analyzing these and taking imperative measures to curb the same helps in preserving human resources and contribute to country' s development.