Deadly stays: A 10‐year autopsy study of deaths in hotels in Antalya, Turkey

Abstract

The hotel industry is essential for travelers, for both touristic and business purposes. Deaths in hotel rooms, which can occur in various manners from various causes, can result in serious problems for the industry. This study evaluated 8137 autopsies performed by the Antalya Group Administration of the Turkish Council of Forensic Medicine between January 1, 2010, and December 31, 2019. All deaths occurred during a hotel accommodation and within hotel borders, including their respective beach areas, and those who collapsed during their hotel stay and died shortly afterward in a hospital or on their way to a hospital were included. A total of 900 cases were identified and ultimately included in this study. According to the autopsy reports, the decedents who died during their stays were from 42 different countries and had a mean age of 54.3 ± 18.55 years. Most decedents were from Russia (n = 251, 27.9%). The most common manner of death was natural causes (n = 552, 61.3%) followed by accidents (n = 284, 31.6%), suicides (n = 40, 4.4%), and homicides (n = 7, 0.8%). Existing cardiovascular diseases (n = 379, 42.1%) were the leading cause of death, followed by drowning in the sea (n = 116, 12.9%) or a pool (n = 58, 6.4%). Most of the causes of deaths identified within this study are preventable with timely intervention or resuscitation. Providing medical personnel 24/7 with adequate equipment in accommodation options, and enabling hotels to take appropriate measures may decrease preventable deaths and improve international travel.

The burden, risk factors and prevention strategies for drowning in Türkiye: a systematic literature review

“…Türkiye has many natural water bodies including four seas, numerous lakes, dams, and rivers [ 7 ], leading to natural water bodies being a leading location for all-age drowning. Results of this review show that drownings in areas close to the coastline were mostly in the sea [ 19 , 24 , 31 ], while lake, rivers and irrigation canals were the main drowning places in landlocked or inland areas [ 58 ]. the findings of the current systematic review showed that most studies focused on drownings in a single province or region.…”

“…Previous studies in Türkiye have reported inadequate official records on drowning [ 7 , 9 , 34 , 64 ]. Due to the limited availability of official sources, most studies on drowning in Türkiye have obtained data either from autopsy reports [ 19 , 59 ] or medical reports (patient information form, electronic medical records, medical charts, and nursing records, etc.) [ 24 , 43 , 44 ].…”