Medical Autopsy for Sudden Unexplained Death in Saudi Arabia: A Call to Action

Alqarawi, Wael; Alsaeed, Abdulelah (Hamad); Alghamdi, Malak; Hersi, Ahmed; Kashour, Tarek; Aljerian, Khaldoon

doi:10.37616/2212-5043.1310

Cited by 4 publications

(3 citation statements)

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“…Worldwide, the traditional autopsy remains the standard, and the virtopsy is considered as an alternative, especially in countries with cultural and religious boundaries, such as Saudi Arabia (20). The first virtual autopsy in the Middle East was conducted at King Khaled University Hospital and the radiologic findings were consistent with an autosomal recessive polycystic kidney disease (ARPKD), that was supported by conventional autopsy (20). It was done in 2014 by Aljerian et al to diagnose the cause of death in a stillbirth female (21).…”

Section: Applications Of Virtual Autopsy In the Middle Eastmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The New Era of Forensic Autopsies: A Brief Overview of Virtual Autopsy and its Practice in The Middle East

Al Mulhim,

Almulhim,

Alabssi

et al. 2023

JOHS

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Traditional autopsies have historically been crucial in determining the cause of death and ensuring the quality of care. However, in this modern technological age, many digital advances in forensic medicine were introduced, aided in the practice, and improved outcomes. The utilization of advanced imaging modalities in forensic examination in the form of a virtual autopsy is one of the advances. This article discusses the virtual autopsy's ethical aspects, strengths, limitations, and implementation, particularly focusing on the extent of its utilization in the Middle East. When discussing the ethical aspect, this review found that virtual autopsy outshines traditional methods by preserving the integrity of the deceased bodies and respecting cultural and religious beliefs through noninvasive imaging. It also discusses the strengths of this approach, such as its capability to identify unknown bodies, detect foreign objects, and examine body parts that are not usually examined in traditional autopsy. Moreover, it addresses limitations like difficulty in differentiating between antemortem and postmortem changes and the inability to obtain data gained by analyzing body samples. Additionally, it explores virtual autopsy applications in mass casualties, its role during pandemics like the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic, and its potential to gradually replace traditional autopsy. Despite its advancements, traditional autopsy remains the gold standard in many cases. Nonetheless, it is a favorable option in the Middle East due to its adherence to the ethical principles in these countries, necessitating further implementation and awareness to maximize its potential and application in forensic medicine

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Section: Applications Of Virtual Autopsy In the Middle Eastmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…It was done in 2014 by Aljerian et al to diagnose the cause of death in a stillbirth female (21). Hence, the use of virtual autopsy would be very productive and acceptable in Saudi Arabia (20).…”

Section: Applications Of Virtual Autopsy In the Middle Eastmentioning

confidence: 99%

The New Era of Forensic Autopsies: A Brief Overview of Virtual Autopsy and its Practice in The Middle East

Al Mulhim,

Almulhim,

Alabssi

et al. 2023

JOHS

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“…Not only that this will help us better understand the distinct features and predictors of OHCA in young adults, but also will inform us about the characteristics of CAD as a cause of sudden cardiac death (SCD) in this age group. Because SCD is the most common consequence of OHCA and due to the systematic lack of post-mortem autopsy in our region, this cohort of patients can give us important insights into the characteristics of CAD as a cause of SCD in young adults, notwithstanding survival bias [ 14 , 15 ]. As such, we sought to describe the characteristics and predictors of OHCA in young adults hospitalized with ACS.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Characteristics and predictors of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest in young adults hospitalized with acute coronary syndrome: A retrospective cohort study of 30,000 patients in the Gulf region

et al. 2023

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Introduction The characteristics of young adults with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) due to acute coronary syndrome (ACS) has not been well described. The mean age of gulf citizens in ACS registries is 10–15 years younger than their western counterparts, which provided us with a unique opportunity to investigate the characteristics and predictors of OHCA in young adults presenting with ACS. Methodology This was a retrospective cohort study using data from 7 prospective ACS registries in the Gulf region. In brief, all registries included consecutive adults who were admitted with ACS. OHCA was defined as cardiac arrest upon presentation (i.e., before admission to the hospital). We described the characteristics of young adults (< 50 years) who had OHCA and performed multivariate logistic regression analysis to assess independent predictors of OHCA. Results A total of 31,620 ACS patients were included in the study. There were 611 (1.93%) OHCA cases in the whole cohort [188/10,848 (1.73%) in young adults vs 423/20,772 (2.04%) in older adults, p = 0.06]. Young adults were predominantly males presenting with ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) [182/188 (96.8%) and 172/188 (91.49%), respectively]. OHCA was the sentinel event of coronary artery disease (CAD) in 70% of young adults. STEMI, male sex, and non-smoking status were found to be independent predictors of OHCA [OR = 5.862 (95% CI 2.623–13.096), OR: 4.515 (95% CI 1.085–18.786), and OR = 2.27 (95% CI 1.335–3.86), respectively]. Conclusion We observed a lower prevalence of OHCA in ACS patients in our region as compared to previous literature from other regions. Moreover, OHCA was the sentinel event of CAD in the majority of young adults, who were predominantly males with STEMIs. These findings should help risk-stratify patients with ACS and inform further research into the characteristics of OHCA in young adults.

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Forensic and Legal Medicine in Saudi Arabia

Madadin

2025

Encyclopedia of Forensic and Legal Medicine

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Medical Autopsy for Sudden Unexplained Death in Saudi Arabia: A Call to Action

Cited by 4 publications

References 24 publications

The New Era of Forensic Autopsies: A Brief Overview of Virtual Autopsy and its Practice in The Middle East

The New Era of Forensic Autopsies: A Brief Overview of Virtual Autopsy and its Practice in The Middle East

Characteristics and predictors of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest in young adults hospitalized with acute coronary syndrome: A retrospective cohort study of 30,000 patients in the Gulf region

Forensic and Legal Medicine in Saudi Arabia

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