Cause of death based on systematic post-mortem studies in patients with positive SARS-CoV-2 tissue PCR during the COVID-19 pandemic
(2021) In Journal of Internal Medicine 290(3). p.655-665- Abstract
Importance: Assessment of the causative association between the COVID-19 and cause of death has been hampered by limited availability of systematically performed autopsies. We aimed to present autopsy-confirmed causes of death in patients who died with COVID-19 and to assess the association between thrombosis and diffuse alveolar damage consistent with COVID-19 (DAD). Methods: Consecutive forensic (n = 60) and clinical (n = 42) autopsies with positive post-mortem SARS-CoV-2 PCR in lungs (age 73 ± 14 years, 50% men) were included. The cause of death analysis was based on a review of medical records and histological reports. Thrombotic phenomena in lungs were defined as pulmonary thromboembolism (PE), thrombosis in pulmonary artery... (More)
Importance: Assessment of the causative association between the COVID-19 and cause of death has been hampered by limited availability of systematically performed autopsies. We aimed to present autopsy-confirmed causes of death in patients who died with COVID-19 and to assess the association between thrombosis and diffuse alveolar damage consistent with COVID-19 (DAD). Methods: Consecutive forensic (n = 60) and clinical (n = 42) autopsies with positive post-mortem SARS-CoV-2 PCR in lungs (age 73 ± 14 years, 50% men) were included. The cause of death analysis was based on a review of medical records and histological reports. Thrombotic phenomena in lungs were defined as pulmonary thromboembolism (PE), thrombosis in pulmonary artery branches or microangiopathy in capillary vessels. Results: COVID-19 caused or contributed to death in 71% of clinical and 83% of forensic autopsies, in whom significant DAD was observed. Of the patients with COVID-19 as the primary cause of death, only 19% had no thrombotic phenomena in the lungs, as opposed to 38% amongst those with COVID-19 as a contributing cause of death and 54% amongst patients whose death was not related to COVID-19 (p = 0.002). PE was observed in 5 patients. Two patients fulfilled the criteria for lymphocyte myocarditis. Conclusions: Vast majority of all PCR-positive fatalities, including out-of-hospital deaths, during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic were related to DAD caused by COVID-19. Pulmonary artery thrombosis and microangiopathy in pulmonary tissue were common and associated with the presence of DAD, whilst venous PE was rarely observed. Histology-confirmed lymphocyte myocarditis was a rare finding.
(Less)
- author
- Romanova, E. S. ; Vasilyev, V. V. ; Startseva, G. ; Karev, V. ; Rybakova, M. G. and Platonov, P. G. LU
- organization
- publishing date
- 2021-09-01
- type
- Contribution to journal
- publication status
- published
- subject
- keywords
- COVID-19, forensic autopsy, pathology
- in
- Journal of Internal Medicine
- volume
- 290
- issue
- 3
- pages
- 11 pages
- publisher
- Wiley-Blackwell
- external identifiers
-
- pmid:33872433
- scopus:85106255699
- ISSN
- 0954-6820
- DOI
- 10.1111/joim.13300
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- yes
- id
- e8d7ef7a-50b4-48da-b45c-c6cd5783e71f
- date added to LUP
- 2022-04-12 08:53:39
- date last changed
- 2025-02-10 23:11:06
@article{e8d7ef7a-50b4-48da-b45c-c6cd5783e71f,
abstract = {{<p>Importance: Assessment of the causative association between the COVID-19 and cause of death has been hampered by limited availability of systematically performed autopsies. We aimed to present autopsy-confirmed causes of death in patients who died with COVID-19 and to assess the association between thrombosis and diffuse alveolar damage consistent with COVID-19 (DAD). Methods: Consecutive forensic (n = 60) and clinical (n = 42) autopsies with positive post-mortem SARS-CoV-2 PCR in lungs (age 73 ± 14 years, 50% men) were included. The cause of death analysis was based on a review of medical records and histological reports. Thrombotic phenomena in lungs were defined as pulmonary thromboembolism (PE), thrombosis in pulmonary artery branches or microangiopathy in capillary vessels. Results: COVID-19 caused or contributed to death in 71% of clinical and 83% of forensic autopsies, in whom significant DAD was observed. Of the patients with COVID-19 as the primary cause of death, only 19% had no thrombotic phenomena in the lungs, as opposed to 38% amongst those with COVID-19 as a contributing cause of death and 54% amongst patients whose death was not related to COVID-19 (p = 0.002). PE was observed in 5 patients. Two patients fulfilled the criteria for lymphocyte myocarditis. Conclusions: Vast majority of all PCR-positive fatalities, including out-of-hospital deaths, during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic were related to DAD caused by COVID-19. Pulmonary artery thrombosis and microangiopathy in pulmonary tissue were common and associated with the presence of DAD, whilst venous PE was rarely observed. Histology-confirmed lymphocyte myocarditis was a rare finding.</p>}},
author = {{Romanova, E. S. and Vasilyev, V. V. and Startseva, G. and Karev, V. and Rybakova, M. G. and Platonov, P. G.}},
issn = {{0954-6820}},
keywords = {{COVID-19; forensic autopsy; pathology}},
language = {{eng}},
month = {{09}},
number = {{3}},
pages = {{655--665}},
publisher = {{Wiley-Blackwell}},
series = {{Journal of Internal Medicine}},
title = {{Cause of death based on systematic post-mortem studies in patients with positive SARS-CoV-2 tissue PCR during the COVID-19 pandemic}},
url = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/joim.13300}},
doi = {{10.1111/joim.13300}},
volume = {{290}},
year = {{2021}},
}