Citation

Puigdefàbregas Serra A, Freitas Ramírez A, Gispert Magarolas R, Castellà Garcia J, Vidal Gutiérrez C, Medallo Muñiz J, Subirana Domènech M, Martínez Alcazar H. Rev. Esp. Med. Legal 2017; 43(1): 13-19.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2017, Madrid Asociacion Nacional de Medicos Forenses, Publisher Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.reml.2016.09.004

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Introduction The statistical forms corresponding to deaths that require judicial and forensic interventions contain a very high number of ill-defined causes of death. The objective is to show the results of data recovery from the forensic autopsies and to analyse the impact of this information on the cause-of-death statistics for the year 2013 in Catalonia (Spain). Material and methods Deaths with judicial intervention with an ill-defined cause of death according to the WHO coding standards were selected from the Catalan Mortality Registry. Information was recovered from the autopsy registers of the Forensic Pathology centres of the Institute of Legal Medicine and Forensic Science of Catalonia (IMLCFC).

RESULTS Deaths with judicial intervention represent 6% of total mortality in Catalonia, 42.9% due to external causes and 77% pertaining to ill-defined causes-of-death. There were 3,639 cases of death with judicial intervention, of which 43.4% (n = 1,578) were reviewed, resulting in information that improved the cause of death in 78.4% of cases. The information retrieved increased accidental poisoning by 61.3%, suicides by 32.6%, homicides by 28.9%, falls by 27.4%, traffic accidents by 22.7% and ischaemic heart disease by 5.2%, with the equivalent increase in the mortality rates from these causes.

CONCLUSIONS The forensic autopsy information has a significant impact on cause-of-death statistics, especially external causes and ischemic heart disease. A forensic report concerning the cause and circumstances of death, structured to facilitate further coding and the direct transmission of data to the statistical office, would be the best solution to prevent the loss of information currently experienced. © 2016 Asociación Nacional de Médicos Forenses

Language: en

Keywords

External causes of death; Information accuracy; Medicolegal autopsies; Mortality