Discrepancies in initial death certificate diagnoses in sudden unexpected out-of-hospital deaths: the role of cardiovascular autopsy

Cause of death and the autopsy rate in an elderly population

Autopsy rates are declining, while major discrepancies between autopsies and clinical diagnoses remain. Still, little is known about the impact of suspected underlying diseases, for example, a diagnosis of cancer, on the autopsy rate. The aim of this study was to investigate the relation between the clinical cause of death, a history of cancer, and the medical autopsy rate using data from the Netherlands Cohort Study on Diet and Cancer (NLCS), a large prospective cohort study with a long follow-up. The NLCS is a prospective study initiated in 1986 and includes 120,852 persons (58,279 males and 62,573 females), 55-69 years of age at the time of enrollment. The NLCS was linked with the Dutch Nationwide Pathology Databank (PALGA), the Dutch Population Register (GBA), the Netherlands Cancer Registry, and the causes of death registry (Statistics Netherlands). If applicable, the 95% confidence intervals were calculated. During the follow-up of the NLCS, 59,760 deaths were recorded by linkage with the GBA from 1991 until 2009. Of these, a medical autopsy was performed on 3736 deceased according to linkage with PALGA, resulting in an overall autopsy rate of 6.3%. Major variations in the autopsy rate were observed according to the cause of death. The autopsy rate increased according to the number of contributing causes of death. Lastly, a diagnosis of cancer affected the autopsy rate. The clinical cause of death and a history of cancer both influenced the medical autopsy rate in a large national cohort. The insight this study provides may help clinicians and pathologists counteracting the further downfall of the medical autopsy.

A clinical proteomics study of exhaled breath condensate and biomarkers for pulmonary embolism

Pulmonary embolism (PE) can be a diagnostic challenge. Current diagnostic markers for PE are unspecific and new diagnostic tools are needed. The air we exhale is a possible new source for biomarkers which can be tapped into by analysing the exhaled breath condensate (EBC). We analysed the EBC from patients with PE and controls to investigate if the EBC is a useful source for new diagnostic biomarkers of PE. We collected and analysed EBC samples from patients with suspected PE and controls matched on age and sex. Patients in whom PE was ruled out after diagnostic work-up were included in the control group to increase the sensitivity and generalizability of the identified markers. EBC samples were collected using an RTube™. The protein composition of the EBCs were analysed using data dependent label-free quantitative nano liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. EBC samples from 28 patients with confirmed PE, and 49 controls were analysed. A total of 928 EBC proteins were identified in the 77 EBC samples. As expected, a low protein concentration was determined which resulted in many proteins with unmeasurable levels in several samples. The levels of HSPA5, PEBP1 and SFTPA2 were higher and levels of POF1B, EPPK1, PSMA4, ALDOA, and CFL1 were lower in PE compared with controls. In conclusion, the human EBC contained a variety of endogenous proteins and may be a source for new diagnostic markers of PE and other diseases.

Confronting an Upsurge in Opiate Deaths with Limited Resources

The dramatic increase in drug-related deaths in the last decade has presented fiduciary and logistical difficulties to medicolegal jurisdictions of all types and sizes. New Hampshire, with a centralized state medical examiner system of death investigation, has been confronted with the task of investigating these drug-related deaths against the backdrop of statutory hurdles inhibiting a nimble response to the situation. This has led to a collaborative approach with law enforcement and the state Department of Justice in terms of triaging drug deaths to full autopsy versus external examination with toxicology testing. Preliminary data suggest that between 11 and 13% of suspected drug deaths have an alternative cause of death revealed by autopsy. Positive toxicological findings were documented in 97.5% of cases in which only an external examination was performed; however, some of these cases may have had undetected, significant internal findings that could have accounted for an alternative cause of death if an autopsy had been performed. While the case triage system described has temporarily addressed the acute problem, the issue of the medical examiner's appropriate role in the adequate evaluation of public health and safety remains extant. Furthermore, noncompliance with the National Association of Medical Examiners inspection and accreditation standards puts this agency, and others facing the same issues, at risk of losing full accreditation status until such resource issues are addressed by legislators and other stakeholders in the quality of medicolegal death investigation in the United States.

Outcomes After Vena Cava Filter Use in Noncancer Patients With Acute Venous Thromboembolism: A Population-Based Study

BACKGROUND

Evidence that vena cava filters (VCFs) are beneficial is limited.

METHODS AND RESULTS

We retrospectively analyzed all noncancer patients admitted to nonfederal California hospitals for acute venous thromboembolism from 2005 to 2010. Analysis was stratified by the presence/absence of a contraindication to anticoagulation (active bleeding, major surgery). Outcomes were death within 30 or 90 days of admission and the 1-year incidence of recurrent venous thromboembolism manifested as pulmonary embolism or deep vein thrombosis. Propensity score methods were used to account for observed systematic differences in baseline characteristics between patients treated and those not treated with a VCF. Among 80 697 patients with no contraindication to anticoagulation, VCF use (n=7762, 9.6%) did not significantly reduce the 30-day risk of death (hazard ratio [HR], 1.12; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.98-1.28). Among 3017 patients with active bleeding, VCF use (n=1095, 36.3%) reduced the 30-day risk of death by 32% (HR, 0.68; 95% CI, 0.52-0.88) and the 90-day risk by 27% (HR, 0.73; 95% CI, 0.59-0.90). VCF use (n=489, 33.8%) did not reduce mortality among 1445 patients who underwent major surgery (HR, 1.1; 95% CI, 0.71-1.77). In all subgroups, filter use did not reduce the risk of subsequent pulmonary embolism. However, the risk of subsequent deep vein thrombosis increased by 50% among VCF patients with no contraindication (HR, 1.53; 95% CI, 1.34-1.74) and by 135% among VCF patients with active bleeding (HR, 2.35; 95% CI, 1.56-3.52).

CONCLUSIONS

VCF use significantly reduced the short-term risk of death only among patients with acute venous thromboembolism who had a contraindication to anticoagulation because of active bleeding. These results support the findings of a randomized clinical trial and current guidelines that recommend VCF use only in patients who cannot receive anticoagulation treatment.

Adverse Trends in Ischemic Heart Disease Mortality among Young New Yorkers, Particularly Young Black Women

BACKGROUND

Ischemic heart disease (IHD) mortality has been on the decline in the United States for decades. However, declines in IHD mortality have been slower in certain groups, including young women and black individuals.

HYPOTHESIS

Trends in IHD vary by age, sex, and race in New York City (NYC). Young female minorities are a vulnerable group that may warrant renewed efforts to reduce IHD.

METHODS

IHD mortality trends were assessed in NYC 1980-2008. NYC Vital Statistics data were obtained for analysis. Age-specific IHD mortality rates and confidence bounds were estimated. Trends in IHD mortality were compared by age and race/ethnicity using linear regression of log-transformed mortality rates. Rates and trends in IHD mortality rates were compared between subgroups defined by age, sex and race/ethnicity.

RESULTS

The decline in IHD mortality rates slowed in 1999 among individuals aged 35-54 years but not ≥55. IHD mortality rates were higher among young men than women age 35-54, but annual declines in IHD mortality were slower for women. Black women age 35-54 had higher IHD mortality rates and slower declines in IHD mortality than women of other race/ethnicity groups. IHD mortality trends were similar in black and white men age 35-54.

CONCLUSIONS

The decline in IHD mortality rates has slowed in recent years among younger, but not older, individuals in NYC. There was an association between sex and race/ethnicity on IHD mortality rates and trends. Young black women may benefit from targeted medical and public health interventions to reduce IHD mortality.

Sudden unexpected death in schizophrenia: autopsy findings in psychiatric inpatients

Schizophrenia is associated with premature mortality and a high rate of sudden, unexpected deaths. Autopsy data are scant, and in studies using death certificates or root cause assessments, a majority of sudden deaths remained unexplained. In the community, post-mortem data indicate that the most common cause of sudden "natural" death is coronary artery disease. In this study, we used autopsy findings to determine the cause of sudden death in a consecutive cohort of 7189 schizophrenia patients admitted to a free-standing, psychiatric teaching hospital from 1989 to 2013. Medical record review identified 57 patients (0.79%) who died suddenly and unexpectedly during hospitalization. Autopsies were performed in 51 (89.5%) patients (55.9±9.4years, male=56.9%). Autopsy-based causes of sudden death were most commonly cardiovascular disorders (62.8%). Specific causes included myocardial infarction (52.9%), pneumonia (11.8%), airway obstruction (7.8%), myocarditis (5.9%), and dilated cardiomyopathy, hemopericardium, pulmonary embolus, hemorrhagic stroke and brain tumor (2.0% each). The sudden death remained unexplained in 6 (11.8%) patients, 3 of whom had evidence of coronary arteriosclerosis on autopsy. Patients with and without myocardial infarction were similar regarding age, gender, smoking, body mass index and psychotropic treatment (p values≥0.10). In conclusion, sudden cardiac death occurs at a 0.8% rate in a psychiatric hospital, well above general population rates. Autopsy findings indicate that sudden death in schizophrenia is caused by structural cardiovascular, respiratory and neurological abnormalities, with most cases due to acute myocardial infarction. Early recognition and treatment of coronary artery disease must become a clinical priority for all adults with schizophrenia.

Forensic medicine experts' opinion on medico-legal autopsies in hospital deaths: a questionnaire survey

OBJECTIVE

Medico-legal autopsy is conducted routinely in some countries and selectively in others in hospital deaths. This study was conducted to evaluate the views of the forensic medicine experts regarding this matter.

METHODS

A questionnaire pro forma was sent to sixty-five forensic medicine experts practicing in different medical institutions all around India. Designations and experiences of the participants were noted by requests in the same questionnaire. Their specific experience in conducting medico-legal autopsy in hospital deaths was also requested for. Responses were charted in frequency distribution tables and analyzed using SPSS, version 17.0.

RESULTS

One-third of the participants felt that a medico-legal autopsy was necessary in all the hospital death cases as defined in the present study. Ten percent of the participants opined that a medico-legal autopsy was unnecessary in hospital deaths. The majority of the experts mentioned finding the cause of death, followed by finding the manner of death and collecting the evidentiary materials, as the reasons for medico-legal autopsy in hospital deaths. Twenty percent of the participants felt that internal findings at autopsy poorly matched with the case records. All the experts agreed that external autopsy findings matched with the hospital case records. Nearly two-third of the participants felt that it was difficult in some cases to interpret the autopsy findings without case records from the hospital where the deceased was treated.

CONCLUSION

Our findings suggest that the exercise of carrying out medico-legal autopsy routinely in every hospital death as evident in the Indian framework is often unnecessary as per the experts' opinion. Autopsy findings in hospital deaths often correlate with hospital case records.

Current and former smoking and risk for venous thromboembolism: a systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

Smoking is a well-established risk factor for atherosclerotic disease, but its role as an independent risk factor for venous thromboembolism (VTE) remains controversial. We conducted a meta-analysis to summarize all published prospective studies and case-control studies to update the risk for VTE in smokers and determine whether a dose-response relationship exists.

METHODS AND FINDINGS

We performed a literature search using MEDLINE (source PubMed, January 1, 1966 to June 15, 2013) and EMBASE (January 1, 1980 to June 15, 2013) with no restrictions. Pooled effect estimates were obtained by using random-effects meta-analysis. Thirty-two observational studies involving 3,966,184 participants and 35,151 VTE events were identified. Compared with never smokers, the overall combined relative risks (RRs) for developing VTE were 1.17 (95% CI 1.09-1.25) for ever smokers, 1.23 (95% CI 1.14-1.33) for current smokers, and 1.10 (95% CI 1.03-1.17) for former smokers, respectively. The risk increased by 10.2% (95% CI 8.6%-11.8%) for every additional ten cigarettes per day smoked or by 6.1% (95% CI 3.8%-8.5%) for every additional ten pack-years. Analysis of 13 studies adjusted for body mass index (BMI) yielded a relatively higher RR (1.30; 95% CI 1.24-1.37) for current smokers. The population attributable fractions of VTE were 8.7% (95% CI 4.8%-12.3%) for ever smoking, 5.8% (95% CI 3.6%-8.2%) for current smoking, and 2.7% (95% CI 0.8%-4.5%) for former smoking. Smoking was associated with an absolute risk increase of 24.3 (95% CI 15.4-26.7) cases per 100,000 person-years.

CONCLUSIONS

Cigarette smoking is associated with a slightly increased risk for VTE. BMI appears to be a confounding factor in the risk estimates. The relationship between VTE and smoking has clinical relevance with respect to individual screening, risk factor modification, and the primary and secondary prevention of VTE. Please see later in the article for the Editors' Summary.

Causes of death certification of adults: an exploratory cross-sectional study at a university hospital in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

Saudi Arabia has no precise data on causes of death. We sought to ascertain the commonest causes of death as stated in death certificates of adults and evaluate the completeness of death certificates at a teaching hospital in Riyadh.

DESIGN AND SETTINGS

A cross-sectional study carried out at King Khalid University Hospital in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, during the year 2008.

METHODS

All death certificates that were issued in 2008 were reviewed and data were checked by two reviewers. Causes of death were coded according to specially-designed codes.

RESULTS

The mean (SD) age of death was 63.9 (20.7) years. More than 80% arrived alive at the hospital. Among the 410 certificates, 62.2% had the first reported cause of death being classified as "inappropriate" and this tended to be slightly, but significantly more frequent among women. The first most common appropriately reported cause of death was malignancy of any type (7.3%) followed by ischemic heart diseases (4.9%). Accidents and fractures were more common in the younger age groups and among men.

CONCLUSIONS

This is the first study that documents the possible gaps among healthcare professionals in Saudi Arabia in their understanding of death and its certification based on the clinical assessment of the deceased. The findings needs to be validated by similar studies from other health care sectors. It is clear, however, that proven educational, system-related and legal interventions to improve the accuracy of death certification are strongly needed if the health care priorities are to be properly identified.

Sudden death after chest pain: feasibility of virtual autopsy with postmortem CT angiography and biopsy

PURPOSE

To determine the potential of minimally invasive postmortem computed tomographic (CT) angiography combined with image-guided tissue biopsy of the myocardium and lungs in decedents who were thought to have died of acute chest disease and to compare this method with conventional autopsy as the reference standard.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The responsible justice department and ethics committee approved this study. Twenty corpses (four female corpses and 16 male corpses; age range, 15-80 years), all of whom were reported to have had antemortem acute chest pain, were imaged with postmortem whole-body CT angiography and underwent standardized image-guided biopsy. The standard included three biopsies of the myocardium and a single biopsy of bilateral central lung tissue. Additional biopsies of pulmonary clots for differentiation of pulmonary embolism and postmortem organized thrombus were performed after initial analysis of the cross-sectional images. Subsequent traditional autopsy with sampling of histologic specimens was performed in all cases. Thereafter, conventional histologic and autopsy reports were compared with postmortem CT angiography and CT-guided biopsy findings. A Cohen κ coefficient analysis was performed to explore the effect of the clustered nature of the data.

RESULTS

In 19 of the 20 cadavers, findings at postmortem CT angiography in combination with CT-guided biopsy validated the cause of death found at traditional autopsy. In one cadaver, early myocardial infarction of the papillary muscles had been missed. The Cohen κ coefficient was 0.94. There were four instances of pulmonary embolism, three aortic dissections (Stanford type A), three myocardial infarctions, three instances of fresh coronary thrombosis, three cases of obstructive coronary artery disease, one ruptured ulcer of the ascending aorta, one ruptured aneurysm of the right subclavian artery, one case of myocarditis, and one pulmonary malignancy with pulmonary artery erosion. In seven of 20 cadavers, CT-guided biopsy provided additional histopathologic information that substantiated the final diagnosis of the cause of death.

CONCLUSION

Postmortem CT angiography combined with image-guided biopsy, because of their minimally invasive nature, have a potential role in the detection of the cause of death after acute chest pain.

Cardiovascular and neurological causes of sudden death after ischaemic stroke

Sudden death is an important but widely under-recognised consequence of stroke. Acute stroke can disturb central autonomic control, resulting in myocardial injury, electrocardiographic abnormalities, cardiac arrhythmias, and ultimately sudden death. Experimental and clinical evidence suggests that autonomic imbalance is more frequent after infarcts involving the insular cortex, a crucial region for the control of sympathetic and parasympathetic autonomic functions. Cardiovascular comorbidities increase the risk of cardiac morbidity and mortality after stroke. Thus, many sudden deaths and serious non-fatal cardiac events after stroke are probably due to an interaction between cardiovascular and neurological causes. The exact mechanisms leading to sudden death remain incompletely understood. Further research is needed to investigate the autonomic consequences of acute stroke and to identify patients at high risk of sudden death.

All-cause and CVD mortality in Native Hawaiians

AIMS

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death among Native Hawaiians. In this article, all-cause and cardiovascular mortality rates among Native Hawaiians are examined, along with associated CVD risk factors.

METHODS

A total of 855 Native Hawaiians (343 men and 512 women, ages 19-88) were examined as participants of the Cardiovascular Risk Clinics program (1992-1998) and underwent surveillance through September 2007. Cause of each death was determined by review of medical records, death certificates, newspapers, and through queries to community members.

RESULTS

CVD accounted for 55% of deaths. Coronary heart disease (CHD) accounted for the majority of CVD deaths. CVD increased with age and was higher in those with diabetes, hypertension, or high low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C). CVD rates were higher in men than in women and fourfold higher in those with diabetes. In addition to age, diabetes, hypertension, and elevated LDL-C were major risk factors.

CONCLUSIONS

Diabetes is a major determinant of CVD in this population and most of the CVD is occurring in those with diabetes. Strategies to prevent diabetes and manage blood pressure and lipids should reduce CVD rates in Native Hawaiians.