Retrospective Study of Sudden Death in Medico-Legal Autopsies
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.37506/v4k7k972Keywords:
Medicolegal Autopsy, Sudden death and Natural deathAbstract
Background: Death is considered sudden or unexpected when a person not known to be suffering from any dangerous disease, injury, or poisoning is found dead or dies within 24 hours after the onset of terminal illness, as per the WHO definition. In such cases, an autopsy plays a crucial role in determining the exact cause of death and helps the bereaved relatives rule out any suspicion of foul play. The present study aims to analyse the age, sex and system-wise distribution of causes of sudden death.
Methodology: - This retrospective study was carried out at a tertiary care hospital, from 1st January 2023 to 31st December 2023. We reviewed autopsy reports and inquest papers and documented demographic details and cause of death. The data was analyzed statistically.
Observation: During the study period, a total of 556(24.7%) sudden death cases were recorded out of 2246 medico-legal autopsies. Most of the sudden deaths (82.7%) were observed in the 31- 60 years of age group with a male-to-female ratio of 3:2. The most common system involved in sudden death was the cardiovascular system (64%) followed by the respiratory system (23%), gastrointestinal system (10%) and CNS (3%). In the cardiovascular system, coronary artery disease (79.5%) was the leading cause of death.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Bhavesh Anil Surkar, Santosh Bhoi , Manu Yadav, Rizwan Kamle, Naresh Zanjad
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