SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) Experience at an Academic Medical Examiner’s Office

• Published in: Academic forensic pathology Vol. 14; no. 3; pp. 87 - 107
• Main Authors: Prahlow, Joseph A., Jones, Prentiss, Bailey, Kristi, Grande, Abigail, Obead, Asmaa, Pink, Christine, Douglas, Elizabeth, Shattuck, Brandy, Fisher-Hubbard, Amanda, Brown, Theodore, deJong, Joyce L.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Los Angeles, CA SAGE Publications 01.09.2024
• Subjects: Original; COVID-19; Death; SARS-CoV-2; Forensic pathology; Medical examiner
• ISSN: 1925-3621; 1925-3621
• DOI: 10.1177/19253621231224532

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.