Jackson NR; Zeigler K; Torrez M; Makino Y; Adolphi NL; Lathrop S; Decker L; Dvorscak L; Proe L; Paul ID; Zumwalt R; Jarrell H
Am J Forensic Med Pathol 2021[Mar]; 42 (1): 1-8 PMID33416234show ga
The 2019 novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has spread worldwide, infiltrating, infecting, and devastating communities in all locations of varying demographics. An overwhelming majority of published literature on the pathologic findings associated with COVID-19 is either from living clinical cohorts or from autopsy findings of those who died in a medical care setting, which can confound pure disease pathology. A relatively low initial infection rate paired with a high biosafety level enabled the New Mexico Office of the Medical Investigator to conduct full autopsy examinations on suspected COVID-19-related deaths. Full autopsy examination on the first 20 severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2-positive decedents revealed that some extent of diffuse alveolar damage in every death due to COVID-19 played some role. The average decedent was middle-aged, male, American Indian, and overweight with comorbidities that included diabetes, ethanolism, and atherosclerotic and/or hypertensive cardiovascular disease. Macroscopic thrombotic events were seen in 35% of cases consisting of pulmonary thromboemboli and coronary artery thrombi. In 2 cases, severe bacterial coinfections were seen in the lungs. Those determined to die with but not of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection had unremarkable lung findings.
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Am+J+Forensic+Med+Pathol 2021 ; 42 (1): 1-8
