Prahlow JA, Jones P, Bailey K, Grande A, Obead A, Pink C, Douglas E, Shattuck B, Fisher-Hubbard A, Brown T, deJong JL. SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) Experience at an Academic Medical Examiner's Office.
Acad Forensic Pathol 2024;
14:87-107. [PMID:
39246388 PMCID:
PMC11380442 DOI:
10.1177/19253621231224532]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2023] [Accepted: 12/17/2023] [Indexed: 09/10/2024]
Abstract
Introduction
The coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has resulted in a great deal of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Since most deaths related to COVID-19 are currently considered natural, and they tend to occur following a clinically recognized illness, many medical examiner/coroner offices within the United States do not take jurisdiction over the majority of COVID-19 deaths.
Methods
In this review, we present the experience of a medium-sized medical examiner's office affiliated with an academic medical school institution, over the first 15 months of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Results
Compared to a 15-month period that immediately preceded the pandemic, our office experienced a significant increase in the total number of reported deaths, scene investigations, full autopsies, natural deaths, accidents, homicides, and drug-related deaths, but a decrease in the number of suicides. Overall, our office performed 5 autopsies during the study period where COVID-19 was considered the primary cause of death, 4 cases where COVID-19 was considered a contributory cause of death, and 28 cases where COVID-19 testing was positive, but COVID-19 was not contributory to death.
Discussion
The COVID-19 pandemic was accompanied by a sizeable increase in work volume within our academic medical examiner's office. Although this increased workload was not related to a large number of COVID-19-related deaths investigated by the office, there were numerous areas of increased workload that were likely secondarily related to the conditions associated with the pandemic.
Collapse