Carbon monoxide-related deaths in Ankara between 2001 and 2011.

AbstractObjective: The aim of the present study was to describe the epidemiology of unintentional carbon monoxide (CO) poisonings (between 2001 and 2011) in Ankara, Turkey.Methods: Data were collected from the records of Ankara Branch of Council of Forensic Medicine and the licensed official institutes and hospitals for medico-legal autopsies. A total of 10 720 medico-legal autopsy reports were obtained and reviewed by the authors.Results: Among 622 fatal poisoning cases during the period, 380 deaths were due to unintentional CO poisoning. The mean CO saturation of the groups was 55.4 ± 13.4 (% saturation). The minimum and maximum levels of CO in blood was 3.6 and 86.5 (% saturation), respectively. Of all the fatal poisonings determined by Ankara Branch of Council of Forensic Medicine, CO poisoning was the most common mortality cause (61.1%). Among the cases, 301 (79.2%) were found to be death in their houses, 43 (11.3%) in hospitals, 15 (3.9%) in their workplaces and 11 (2.9%) in some public places such ...