Clinical, educational, and epidemiological value of autopsy

Increasing the efficiency of autopsy reporting

CONTEXT

-When autopsy reports are delayed, clinicians and families do not receive information in a timely fashion.

OBJECTIVE

-Using lean principles derived from the Toyota Production System, we set out to streamline our autopsy reporting process.

DESIGN

-In a formal workshop setting, we identified the steps involved in producing an autopsy report, then sought to eliminate, abbreviate, or reschedule them into a more efficient format. We established intermediate deadlines for each case, taking care to make them visible; we initiated a weekly quality assurance review, giving attention to both scientific issues and approaching deadlines.

RESULTS

-By adopting a more standardized approach, eliminating redundancy, and improving the visibility of tasks, we improved the mean completion time of autopsy reports from 53 days (N = 47 cases) to 25 days (N = 47 cases). Previously, 17% of reports were completed by 30 days and 71% by 60 days; in the 15 months following initiation of the program, 72% of reports were completed by 30 days and 100% by 60 days. A follow-up survey of attending physicians revealed continuing appreciation for the autopsy and timely communication, with no perceived diminution in the quality of reports.

CONCLUSIONS

-This approach was of great benefit in our laboratory and may assist others in reducing the turnaround time of their autopsy reports. It may also benefit other areas of the laboratory.

Time trends in fungal infections as a cause of death in hematopoietic stem cell transplant recipients: an autopsy study

Infectious complications remain an important cause of death in hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) recipients. We undertook a 20-year (1988-2007) retrospective review of all autopsies performed on HSCT recipients in our institution, with emphasis on infections, especially fungal infections, as the cause of death. Of the 2,943 autopsies performed in our institution from 1988 to 2007, 395 (13.4%) involved HSCT recipients (117 pediatric; 278 adult). Of the patients, 298 had received allogeneic, 46 autologous, 41 umbilical cord blood, and 3 autologous plus allogeneic types, and 7 were unknown HSCT types. The most common causes of death were pulmonary complications, occurring in 247 (62.5%) of 395 cases. In 178 cases (45.1%), microorganisms (viral, bacterial, and/or fungal) were documented at autopsy in one or more organs and contributed to the cause of death. Fungal infections were found in 23.5% of cases, but their frequency as a cause of death decreased throughout this study, from 30.3% in the 1988-1992 period to 10.9% in the 2003-2007 period.

Post-mortem examination of human fetuses: a comparison of whole-body high-field MRI at 9.4 T with conventional MRI and invasive autopsy

BACKGROUND

Conventional whole-body MRI at 1.5 T does not provide adequate image quality of small fetuses, thus reducing its potential for use as an alternative to invasive autopsy. High-field whole-body MRI at 9.4 T provides good images of small animals. We therefore compared the diagnostic usefulness of high-field MRI with conventional MRI for post-mortem examination of human fetuses.

METHODS

We did whole-body MRI at 9.4 T and 1.5 T on 18 fetuses of less than 22 weeks' gestation, using three-dimensional T(2)-weighted fast-spin echo sequences, before doing invasive autopsy. Images obtained with MRI for each system were compared with the findings of invasive autopsy in a blinded manner. Tissue contrast of 14 different regions was compared on 1.5 T and 9.4 T images that were provided by paediatric radiologists separately and in a random order, and image quality was scored on a four-point scale. The primary endpoint was diagnostic accuracy.

FINDINGS

Spatial resolution, tissue contrast, and image quality of all organ systems were much better with high-field MRI than with conventional MRI. All structural abnormalities that were detected with invasive autopsy and internal examination of visceral organs were also detected with high-field MRI, whereas conventional MRI was not diagnostically useful in 14 (78%) cases.

INTERPRETATION

Whole-body high-field MRI is a feasible option for post-mortem examination of human fetuses, and can provide good tissue characterisation even in small fetuses (5 g). The use of MRI at 9.4 T might be helpful in the development of a minimally invasive perinatal autopsy system.

FUNDING

Department of Health Policy Research Programme, British Heart Foundation, National Institute of Health Research, Higher Education Funding Council for England, Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council, Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council, Great Ormond Street Hospital, University College London (UCL) Institute of Child Health, UCL Hospital, and UCL.

The impact of clinically undiagnosed injuries on survival estimates

OBJECTIVES

Missed injury diagnoses may cause potentially preventable deaths. To estimate the effect of clinically undiagnosed injuries on injury-specific survival estimates and the accuracy of an injury severity score. To also estimate the potentially preventable mortality attributable to these injuries.

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PATIENTS

In a nation-wide, population-based study, data were collected from all hospital admissions for injuries in Sweden between 1998 and 2004. We studied 8627 deaths in hospital among 598,137 incident hospital admissions.

MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS

New specific-injury categories were added in 7.4% (95% confidence interval [CI] 6.8-8.0) of all deaths with an autopsy rate of 24.2%. It was estimated that this proportion would have increased to 25.1% (95% CI 23.0-27.2), if all deaths had been autopsied. The most pronounced effect of clinically undiagnosed injuries was found for internal organ injury in the abdomen or pelvis, where they reduced the estimated survival from 0.83 to 0.69 (95% CI for the difference: 0.09-0.20). Autopsy diagnoses also revealed substantial bias of survival estimates for vascular injuries in the thorax and crush injuries to the head. The performance of the International Classification of Diseases Injury Severity Score improved when autopsy diagnoses were added to hospital discharge diagnoses. The maximum proportion of injury deaths attributable to missed injuries was estimated to be 6.5%.

CONCLUSIONS

Maintaining a high autopsy rate and merging accurate hospital discharge data and autopsy data are effective ways to improve the accuracy of survival estimates and mortality prediction models, and to estimate mortality attributable to diagnostic failures.

Student perceptions of medico-legal autopsy demonstrations in a student-centred curriculum

OBJECTIVES

Teaching autopsies in undergraduate medicine, although traditionally considered valuable by both educators and students, have been marginalised in modern curricula. This study explored medical students' experiences of the medico-legal autopsy demonstrations which formed part of their training in forensic medicine.

METHODS

In this phenomenological study, qualitative data obtained by interviewing 10 Year 4 medical students from various socio-cultural backgrounds were interpretively examined. One-to-one, semi-structured interviews were tape-recorded and transcribed. The data were thematically organised and then analysed using a theoretical framework of three dimensions of learning, namely, cognitive, emotional and societal.

RESULTS

Students still perceive autopsies as essential even in the context of self-directed learning. They identified a better understanding of anatomy and traumatology as the main cognitive benefits. At an emotional level students felt they had developed a degree of clinical detachment and would be better equipped to deal with issues surrounding death. Although socialisation influenced students' feelings about the autopsy, it did not detract from their appreciation of the educational value of the experience.

CONCLUSIONS

The results support previous findings from both students, prior to curriculum reform, and medical educators who were canvassed for their opinions in relation to a modern curriculum. Besides the obvious cognitive advantages, educators should be mindful of the hidden curriculum that emanates from autopsies because it impacts on the development of professionalism and ethical behaviours of future medical practitioners.

A semi-automated method for non-invasive internal organ weight estimation by post-mortem magnetic resonance imaging in fetuses, newborns and children

Magnetic resonance (MR) imaging allows minimally invasive autopsy, especially when consent is declined for traditional autopsy. Estimation of individual visceral organ weights is an important component of traditional autopsy.

OBJECTIVE

To examine whether a semi-automated can be used for non-invasive internal organ weight measurement using post-mortem MR imaging in fetuses, newborns and children.

METHODS

Phase 1: In vitro scanning of 36 animal organs (heart, liver, kidneys) was performed to check the accuracy of volume reconstruction methodology. Real volumes were measured by water displacement method. Phase 2: Sixty-five whole body post-mortem MR scans were performed in fetuses (n=30), newborns (n=5) and children (n=30) at 1.5T using a 3D TSE T2-weighted sequence. These data were analysed offline using the image processing software Mimics 11.0.

RESULTS

Phase 1: Mean difference (S.D.) between estimated and actual volumes were -0.3 (1.5)ml for kidney, -0.7 (1.3)ml for heart, -1.7 (3.6)ml for liver in animal experiments. Phase 2: In fetuses, newborns and children mean differences between estimated and actual weights (S.D.) were -0.6 (4.9)g for liver, -5.1 (1.2)g for spleen, -0.3 (0.6)g for adrenals, 0.4 (1.6)g for thymus, 0.9 (2.5)g for heart, -0.7 (2.4)g for kidneys and 2.7 (14)g for lungs. Excellent co-correlation was noted for estimated and actual weights (r(2)=0.99, p<0.001). Accuracy was lower when fetuses were less than 20 weeks or less than 300g.

CONCLUSION

Rapid, accurate and reproducible estimation of solid internal organ weights is feasible using the semi-automated 3D volume reconstruction method.

From the emergency department to vital statistics: cause of death uncertain

Vital statistics are widely used to evaluate trends in health and illness, inform policy, and allocate resources among health priorities. Literature comparing autopsies to clinical death certification has shown that the clinical "cause of death" certification is inaccurate or incomplete in many cases. Short of increasing autopsies, however, these studies have proposed few improvements. Using the case of death certification in the emergency department (ED), the authors analyzed the current approach to death certification. The authors propose the following to improve the quality of data: 1) acceptance of the declaration "manner of death, natural; cause of death, uncertain"; 2) training for physicians in the selection of appropriate underlying causes of death and "chains of causation"; and 3) participation of physicians with ongoing relationships to the patient in the certification process.

Management of a twenty-first century brain bank: experience in the BrainNet Europe consortium

Collections of human postmortem brains gathered in brain banks have underpinned many significant developments in the understanding of central nervous system (CNS) disorders and continue to support current research. Unfortunately, the worldwide decline in postmortem examinations has had an adverse effect on research tissue procurement, particularly from control cases (non-diseased brains). Recruitment to brain donor programmes partially addresses this problem and has been successful for dementing and neurodegenerative conditions. However, the collection of brains from control subjects, particularly from younger individuals, and from CNS disorders of sudden onset, remains a problem. Brain banks need to adopt additional strategies to circumvent such shortages. The establishment of brain bank networks allows data on, and access to, control cases and unusual CNS disorders to be shared, providing a larger resource for potential users. For the brain banks themselves, inclusion in a network fosters the sharing of protocols and development of best practice and quality control. One aspect of this collective experience concerns brain bank management, excellence in which is a prerequisite not only for gaining the trust of potential donors and of society in general, but also for ensuring equitable distribution to researchers of high quality tissue samples. This review addresses the legal, ethical and governance issues, tissue quality, and health and safety aspects of brain bank management and data management in a network, as well as the needs of users, brain bank staffing, donor programs, funding issues and public relations. Recent developments in research methodology present new opportunities for researchers who use brain tissue samples, but will require brain banks to adopt more complex protocols for tissue collection, preparation and storage, with inevitable cost implications for the future.

Is brain banking of psychiatric cases valuable for neurobiological research?

It is widely accepted that neurobiological abnormalities underlie the symptoms of psychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia and unipolar or bipolar affective disorders. New molecular methods, computer-assisted quantification techniques and neurobiological investigation methods that can be applied to the human brain are all used in post-mortem investigations of psychiatric disorders. The following article describes modern quantitative methods and recent post-mortem findings in schizophrenia and affective disorders. Using our brain bank as an example, necessary considerations of modern brain banking are addressed such as ethical considerations, clinical work-up, preparation techniques and the organization of a brain bank, the value of modern brain banking for investigations of psychiatric disorders is summarized.

Tissue and organ donation for research in forensic pathology: the MRC Sudden Death Brain and Tissue Bank

Novel methodological approaches to the investigation of brain and non-central nervous system disorders have led to increased demand for well-characterized, high quality human tissue samples, particularly from control cases. In the setting of the new Human Tissue legislation, we sought to determine whether relatives who have been suddenly bereaved are willing to grant authorization for research use of post mortem tissue samples and organs in sufficient numbers to support the establishment of a brain and tissue bank based in the forensic service. Research authorization was sought from families on the day prior to forensic post mortem examination followed up by written confirmation. We have to date selected individuals who have died suddenly (age range 1-89 years) and who were likely to have normal brains or who had displayed symptoms of a CNS disorder of interest to researchers, including psychiatric disorders. One hundred and eleven families have been approached during the first 2 years of this project. Research use of tissue samples was authorized by 96% of families and 17% agreed to whole brain donation. Audit of families' experience does not suggest that they are further distressed by being approached. Respondents expressed a clear view that the opportunity for research donation should be open to all bereaved families. Despite the sometimes long post mortem intervals, the quality of tissue samples is good, as assessed by a range of markers including Agilent BioAnalyzer quantification of RNA integrity (mean value 6.4). We conclude that the vast majority of families are willing to support research use of post mortem tissues even in the context of sudden bereavement and despite previous adverse publicity. The potential for acquisition of normal CNS and non-CNS tissues and of various hard-to-get CNS disorders suggests that efforts to access the forensic post mortem service for research material are eminently worthwhile.

The way forward

Good public-health decisionmaking is dependent on reliable and timely statistics on births and deaths (including the medical causes of death). All high-income countries, without exception, have national civil registration systems that record these events and generate regular, frequent, and timely vital statistics. By contrast, these statistics are not available in many low-income and lower-middle-income countries, even though it is in such settings that premature mortality is most severe and the need for robust evidence to back decisionmaking most critical. Civil registration also has a range of benefits for individuals in terms of legal status, and the protection of economic, social, and human rights. However, over the past 30 years, the global health and development community has failed to provide the needed technical and financial support to countries to develop civil registration systems. There is no single blueprint for establishing and maintaining such systems and ensuring the availability of sound vital statistics. Each country faces a different set of challenges, and strategies must be tailored accordingly. There are steps that can be taken, however, and we propose an approach that couples the application of methods to generate better vital statistics in the short term with capacity-building for comprehensive civil registration systems in the long run.

Cause of death and presence of respiratory disease at autopsy in an HIV-1 seroconversion cohort of southern African gold miners

OBJECTIVES

To describe causes of death and respiratory infections in HIV-infected miners in the pre-antiretroviral era, by duration of HIV infection.

DESIGN

A retrospective cohort of 1950 gold miners with known dates of HIV seroconversion and 6164 HIV-negative miners was followed from the early 1990s to 2002.

METHODS

Causes of death were available from multiple sources: personnel records, clinical records, death certificates and autopsies of cardiorespiratory organs performed for compensation purposes.

RESULTS

Causes of death were known for 279 of 308 HIV-positive (91%) and 234 of 254 HIV-negative (92%) men who died while employed or within 6 months of leaving employment. The mortality rate from unnatural causes was similar in HIV-positive and HIV-negative miners and by duration of HIV infection. Among deaths from natural causes, 87% in HIV-positive and 41% in HIV-negative individuals were caused by infection (P < 0.001); 47% of HIV-positive and 26% of HIV-negative individuals had tuberculosis. The proportion of deaths from natural causes with any infection, or with specific infections (tuberculosis, cryptococcus, pneumocystis), did not vary with the duration of HIV infection. Autopsies were performed on 29% of men who died from natural causes: 83% of HIV-positive and 37% of HIV-negative men had respiratory infections (P < 0.001), half of which were clinically undiagnosed.

CONCLUSION

Tuberculosis was the leading cause of death in HIV-positive and negative men who died from natural causes. Although the mortality rate from natural causes increased greatly with the duration of HIV infection, the pattern of disease hardly changed, suggesting that slow and fast progressors succumb to the same range of diseases.