Autopsy Of The Pregnant Woman

In 2003, the United States Death Certificate was revised to require information about the decedent’s gestational status at autopsy and in the year before death. Analysis of this information revealed a shocking and unexpected truth: previous statistical estimates of violent death in pregnancy were vastly underreported. The most common manner of death in American pregnant women is homicide. This work will cover a short history of death during pregnancy and childbirth, and review the studies which revealed the prevalence of fatal violence against pregnant women. The gross and anatomic findings in deaths due to natural causes will be reviewed including amniotic fluid embolus, hemorrhage, peripartum infection, and coronary artery dissection. Autopsy of the Pregnant Woman is distinguished from other works in the field not only by its subject matter, but also by inclusion of specific recommendations pertaining to proper dissection technique, report content and structure, the collection, storage, and transport of specimens for paternity testing, and methods of fetal aging. A valuable guide to the autopsy of the pregnant woman for forensic pathologists and trainees in current medico-legal practice. Outlines the dissection techniques, specimen collection protocols, and methods of fetal age determination necessary to generate a pathologically and legally sound autopsy report. Includes color photographs, both gross and microscopic, as well as schematics to clearly demonstrate autopsy techniques.

The best way to grasp the essence of death scene investigation (DSI) is to witness its application, called the psychological autopsy, by an expert forensic scientist/clinician. This remarkable book affords the opportunity to delve into the challenges that the forensic mental health specialist and public safety professional confront in DSI. Suicides, and often death, are complex, multidetermined events. People, whether police investigators or mental health professionals, are generally perplexed, and even confused, when they are confronted by the equivocal case. Was it a suicide? Homicide? Accident? These are critical questions. Dr. Leenaars shows that DSI is, however, not mysterious; the reader can learn the generally accepted, evidence-based protocols of the psychological autopsy. Illuminated by individual (idiographic) case studies and general (nomothetic) research, this definitive guide allows the investigator to uncover the bare bones of a suicide or death.

Essentials of Autopsy Practice updates the modern pathologist on issues related to the autopsy. This volume contains topical chapters on the pathology of shock, religious attitudes to death, incised wounds, radiological investigations, metabolic disorders in childhood, maternal deaths, body alterations and piercings which are comprehensive, unique and educational. It brings the literature together into a modern, up-to-date review of the subject, each authored by experts in their field. It comprises the most recent developments in current autopsy practice making the book unique and exceptional - a valuable aid for the bench top, autopsy suite, laboratory or library. A hands-on reference book, Essentials of Autopsy Practice is of interest to both trainees and consultants in all sub-branches of pathology including forensic pathology. It can also be used by non-medical staff involved in the dead, such as nurses, police, lawyers and bereavement officers.

Cocaine has recently been shown to affect the outcome of pregnancy when taken by pregnant women. The authors measured fetal concentrations of cocaine and benzoylecgonine and reviewed autopsy and historical data for 62 successive infants who died at less than two days of age and were seen at the Los Angeles County Office of the Chief Medical Examiner-Coroner. Of 43 infants without an obvious cause of death at autopsy, cocaine or benzoylecgonine or both were present in 40%. None of the parameters studied predicted which infants would show cocaine or benzoylecgonine. We conclude that cocaine and benzoylecgonine concentrations should be measured on all infants who die at less than two days of age when the cause of death is not evident at gross autopsy.

Recent advances in medical technology have provided healthcare staff with the possibility of maintaining the life of a brain-dead pregnant woman on life-support in order to achieve successful delivery of the foetus. Management of Post-Mortem Pregnancy examines the legal and ethical difficulties surrounding such post-mortem management.