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Subdural Hemorrhage, a Retrospective Review with Emphasis on a Cohort of Alcoholics
Author(s) -
deRoux Stephen J.,
Sgarlato Anthony
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
journal of forensic sciences
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.715
H-Index - 96
eISSN - 1556-4029
pISSN - 0022-1198
DOI - 10.1111/1556-4029.12792
Subject(s) - autopsy , medicine , subdural hemorrhage , cohort , medical examiner , cause of death , poison control , retrospective cohort study , injury prevention , population , alcoholic intoxication , forensic pathology , emergency medicine , medical emergency , psychiatry , surgery , hematoma , disease , environmental health
Subdural hemorrhage ( SDH ) is a common cause of death. As external evidence of injury may be absent, an autopsy is frequently needed to detect it. We conducted a 3‐year review of SDH from the New York City Office of Chief Medical Examiner, with emphasis on a cohort of alcoholics. Our study population of 1942 included 1588 alcoholics. Of the alcoholics, c . 8% had SDH (26% of the total number of SDH ). Of the alcoholics with SDH , 57% had associated brain injuries. As alcohol intoxication is frequently associated with aggressive and violent behavior, we are concerned that 6% of alcoholics in our review had no autopsy or imaging studies. It is possible that a portion of these may have had a SDH due to an unrecognized inflicted injury. We recommend that autopsies be performed on all alcoholics without a clear cause or mechanism of death.