Evidence map›Paper›PMID 36924619›Full record

ArticleLegal medicine (Tokyo, Japan)2023

What can autopsy say about COVID-19? A case series of 60 autopsies.

Simone Grassi, Vincenzo Arena, Massimo Zedda, Francesca Cazzato, Rossella Cianci, Giovanni Gambassi, Antonio Oliva

Open access · greenAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Legal medicine (Tokyo, Japan), 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
0.6field-weighted citation impact, top 36% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed, 3 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Article
  2. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.

Simone GrassiForensic Medical Sciences, Department of Health Science, University of Florence, Largo Brambilla 3, Florence 50134, Italy; Legal Medicine, Department of Health Surveillance and Bioethics, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Agostino Gemelli IRCCS, Rome, Italy.
Vincenzo ArenaArea of Pathology, Department of Woman and Child Health and Public Health, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario A. Gemelli IRCCS, Rome 00147, Italy.
Massimo ZeddaLegal Medicine, Department of Health Surveillance and Bioethics, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Agostino Gemelli IRCCS, Rome, Italy. Electronic address: massimo.zedda01@icatt.it.
Francesca CazzatoLegal Medicine, Department of Health Surveillance and Bioethics, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Agostino Gemelli IRCCS, Rome, Italy.
Rossella CianciDepartment of Translational Medicine and Surgery, Catholic University of Rome, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario A. Gemelli, IRCCS, Rome 00168, Italy.
Giovanni GambassiDepartment of Translational Medicine and Surgery, Catholic University of Rome, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario A. Gemelli, IRCCS, Rome 00168, Italy.
Antonio OlivaLegal Medicine, Department of Health Surveillance and Bioethics, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Agostino Gemelli IRCCS, Rome, Italy.
Agostino Gemelli University Polyclinic · ITUniversità Cattolica del Sacro Cuore · ITIstituti di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico · IT

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

introductionAutopsies in SARS-CoV-2 infected cadavers are mainly performed to distinguish patients who died with SARS-CoV-2 infection from those who died of COVID-19. The aim of the current study is to assess the most frequent autopsy findings in patients who died of COVID-19 and to establish an association with clinical records. MATERIALS AND

methods60 patients died between April 2020 and March 2021 after SARS-CoV-2 infection underwent a full autopsy performed at Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Agostino Gemelli IRCCS (Rome). Ante-mortem diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 infection was microbiologically confirmed.

results55 (92%) of cases had at least a comorbidity. At microscopic examination, 40 (67%) of the patients presented pulmonary intravascular coagulation with an inflammatory pattern. Pulmonary microangiopathy was a rare finding (n = 8; 13%). Myocardiosclerosis was the main heart finding (n = 44; 73%). Liver involvement with congestion and hypotrophy was found in 33 (55%) of cadavers. Renal tubular epithelial exfoliation (n = 12; 20%) and intravascular coagulation (n = 4; 7%) were frequent observations. During hospitalization 31% of patients (n = 19) developed acute kidney injury (AKI).

conclusionsLungs and kidneys have been shown to play a pivotal role in COVID-19. The gradual worsening of renal function and AKI might be the result of the progressive collapse of cardiopulmonary system.

Indexed as

Acute Kidney InjuryCOVID-19AutopsyCadaverDeathHumansSARS-CoV-2COVID-19Forensic pathologySARS-CoV-2

Identifiers

PMID36924619
PMCPMC10008096
OpenAlexW4323926461

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.