Spectrum of firearm autopsy cases brought to autopsy lab of Allama Iqbal Medical College Lahore

Aim: to study the different pattern variation of firearm injuries in firearm deaths brought to the mortuary of allama iqbal medical college,lahore. design: observational descriptive study duration of study: one year methods: the study was conducted in akhtar saeed medical & dental college,lahore and data of all firearm fatalities,were collected from the mortuary of the allama iqbal medical college,lahore and data collected during the period from january 2010 to december 2010. results: 100 firearm fatalities autopsied taken during the period january 2010-december 2010 were studied. 80% were victims of homicidal attacks,10 cases (10%) had history of accidental firearm injuries obtained; and in 5 cases (5%) fatalities were suicidal and in the remaining 5(5%) the cause(s) of firearm injuries were dacoits. conclusion: the firearm injury is more frequent in 21-30 years age group. the young males are more commonly affected and must be targeted for lifestyle adjustments such as training to refrain from anger or disputes. the most common site of injury is thorax and frequently injured organs are lungs.