A retrospective descriptive analysis of fatal ground level falls and falls from a height: A 5-year review

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dc.contributor.advisorMole, Calvin
dc.contributor.authorChonyera, Rumbidzai Lorraine Stephanie
dc.date.accessioned2023-03-13T13:02:18Z
dc.date.available2023-03-13T13:02:18Z
dc.date.issued2022
dc.date.updated2023-02-20T12:25:19Z
dc.description.abstractFalls have been identified as the second leading cause of accidental deaths in the world and has become a public health issue. Depending on the manner and height at which the fall occurs, different injury patterns are observed, and these are useful for the determination of circumstances surrounding death. The aim of the present study was to determine the demographic characteristics, prevalence and injury patterns associated with ground level falls and falls from a height. A five-year (1 January 2014 - 31 December 2018) retrospective descriptive review of fatal fall cases investigated at Salt River mortuary was conducted. The prevalence and patterns of injuries were assessed with regard to fall height, impacting surface and victim demographics. There were 360 fall related deaths. Fall prevalence in the Western Metropole District of Cape Town is 3.72/ 100 000 population. Ground level falls were prevalent among the elderly while younger individuals fell from greater heights. There is an association between the sex of an individual and height from which they fall. Accidental falls were more common and no association was found between the alleged manner of death and sex. Skeletally, a higher frequency of fractures was observed in ground level falls while the head, chest and pelvis were affected in the high level falls. additionally, an association was observed between injuries sustained and fall heights. There is a significant difference in fracture proportions between the heights in the pelvic and lower extremities and no significant difference in head, spine, chest and upper extremities. As expected, trauma associated with falls varies based on the height of the fall. Lower extremity fractures are common in ground level falls however a challenge remains for falls from a height as there is a need for more studies to focus on the diverse patterns that occur in these.
dc.identifier.apacitationChonyera, R. L. S. (2022). <i>A retrospective descriptive analysis of fatal ground level falls and falls from a height: A 5-year review</i>. (). ,Faculty of Health Sciences ,Department of Pathology. Retrieved from http://hdl.handle.net/11427/37409en_ZA
dc.identifier.chicagocitationChonyera, Rumbidzai Lorraine Stephanie. <i>"A retrospective descriptive analysis of fatal ground level falls and falls from a height: A 5-year review."</i> ., ,Faculty of Health Sciences ,Department of Pathology, 2022. http://hdl.handle.net/11427/37409en_ZA
dc.identifier.citationChonyera, R.L.S. 2022. A retrospective descriptive analysis of fatal ground level falls and falls from a height: A 5-year review. . ,Faculty of Health Sciences ,Department of Pathology. http://hdl.handle.net/11427/37409en_ZA
dc.identifier.ris TY - Master Thesis AU - Chonyera, Rumbidzai Lorraine Stephanie AB - Falls have been identified as the second leading cause of accidental deaths in the world and has become a public health issue. Depending on the manner and height at which the fall occurs, different injury patterns are observed, and these are useful for the determination of circumstances surrounding death. The aim of the present study was to determine the demographic characteristics, prevalence and injury patterns associated with ground level falls and falls from a height. A five-year (1 January 2014 - 31 December 2018) retrospective descriptive review of fatal fall cases investigated at Salt River mortuary was conducted. The prevalence and patterns of injuries were assessed with regard to fall height, impacting surface and victim demographics. There were 360 fall related deaths. Fall prevalence in the Western Metropole District of Cape Town is 3.72/ 100 000 population. Ground level falls were prevalent among the elderly while younger individuals fell from greater heights. There is an association between the sex of an individual and height from which they fall. Accidental falls were more common and no association was found between the alleged manner of death and sex. Skeletally, a higher frequency of fractures was observed in ground level falls while the head, chest and pelvis were affected in the high level falls. additionally, an association was observed between injuries sustained and fall heights. There is a significant difference in fracture proportions between the heights in the pelvic and lower extremities and no significant difference in head, spine, chest and upper extremities. As expected, trauma associated with falls varies based on the height of the fall. Lower extremity fractures are common in ground level falls however a challenge remains for falls from a height as there is a need for more studies to focus on the diverse patterns that occur in these. DA - 2022_ DB - OpenUCT DP - University of Cape Town KW - Biomedical Forensic Science LK - https://open.uct.ac.za PY - 2022 T1 - A retrospective descriptive analysis of fatal ground level falls and falls from a height: A 5-year review TI - A retrospective descriptive analysis of fatal ground level falls and falls from a height: A 5-year review UR - http://hdl.handle.net/11427/37409 ER - en_ZA
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/11427/37409
dc.identifier.vancouvercitationChonyera RLS. A retrospective descriptive analysis of fatal ground level falls and falls from a height: A 5-year review. []. ,Faculty of Health Sciences ,Department of Pathology, 2022 [cited yyyy month dd]. Available from: http://hdl.handle.net/11427/37409en_ZA
dc.language.rfc3066eng
dc.publisher.departmentDepartment of Pathology
dc.publisher.facultyFaculty of Health Sciences
dc.subjectBiomedical Forensic Science
dc.titleA retrospective descriptive analysis of fatal ground level falls and falls from a height: A 5-year review
dc.typeMaster Thesis
dc.type.qualificationlevelMasters
dc.type.qualificationlevelMPhil
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