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The value of autopsies for determining the cause of death

G Cecilie Alfsen1, Jan Mæhlen

  • 1Department of Pathology, Akershus University Hospital, and Faculty of Medicine, University of Oslo, Norway. cecilie.alfsen@medisin.uio.no

Tidsskrift for Den Norske Laegeforening : Tidsskrift for Praktisk Medicin, Ny Raekke
|January 27, 2012
PubMed

Insights

Medical autopsies significantly alter the determined underlying cause of death in over 60% of cases. These findings are crucial for accurate death certification and understanding mortality data.

Area of Science:

  • Forensic Pathology
  • Public Health
  • Medical Statistics

Background:

  • Death certificates are the primary source for determining the underlying cause of death (UCD) in over 90% of cases.
  • Medical or forensic autopsies provide supplementary information but are utilized in a small proportion of deaths.
  • The impact of autopsy findings on UCD determination requires further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the frequency with which medical autopsy findings influence the determination of the underlying cause of death.
  • To assess the extent of changes in UCD following autopsy examination.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized the Norwegian Cause of Death Register as the data source.
  • Identified deaths with available medical autopsy results from 2005 for individuals aged 2 or older.
  • Compared the initial UCD from the death certificate with the UCD after considering autopsy findings.

Main Results:

  • Medical autopsy results were available for 1,773 deaths (aged 2+).
  • Autopsy findings led to a change in the UCD in 1,077 cases (61%).
  • Major changes, altering the ICD-10 chapter, occurred in 567 cases (32%), with higher rates in the youngest/oldest age groups and women.

Conclusions:

  • Medical autopsies serve as a critical corrective measure for the accuracy of underlying cause of death determination.
  • Autopsy findings significantly impact the accuracy of mortality statistics and public health data.
  • The study highlights the importance of autopsy in refining cause of death information.
Abstract

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