The number of autopsies is declining in the United States for many reasons. However, the procedure can identify a number of important and unexpected findings. The frequency of important findings is affected by a number of factors surrounding the deceased care prior to death.
Parameter |
Higher Probability |
Intermediate Probability |
Lower Probability |
type of autopsy |
coroners case, private |
community hospital |
university hospital |
duration of illness prior to death |
very brief |
intermediate |
long |
hospital care prior to death |
< 24 hours |
1 to 7 days |
> 1 week |
operative or trauma status |
recent |
remote |
none |
death |
unexpected |
|
expected |
where:
• A private autopsy is one which the family requests and pays for.
Common missed diagnoses:
(1) cardiac disease
(2) pulmonary embolism
(3) aneurysm (cerebral, aortic)
(4) cancer
(5) acute or subacute hemorrhage
(6) infection
(7) surgical or medical complication
Tavora et al found that almost 20% of nonmedicolegal autopsies revealed a major discrepancy with the clinical diagnosis and that almost 30% disclosed major unexpected findings.
Specialty: Clinical Laboratory
ICD-10: ,