IS DOING A COMPLETE AUTOPSY AIDING IN REACHING THE CAUSE OF DEATH IN PAKISTAN?
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Abstract
Background:
One of the primary objectives of a forensic autopsy is to establish the cause of death. Various approaches may be taken to decide the extent of the autopsy required for a particular case. In Pakistan, all bodies found under suspicious circumstances are mandated by law to undergo a complete autopsy after registration of a first information report (FIR) by the police. This study aimed to compare and analyze the cause of death recorded in the police FIR before the autopsy is performed and the final autopsy report after a complete, 3-cavity autopsy has been done.
Materials and Methods:
This retrospective study analyzed records of postmortem examinations carried out at a single, tertiary-level autopsy center between June 2009 to July 2018. The study included 769 reports of complete autopsies performed and compared the cause of death stated in the final autopsy report to the FIR recorded by the police.
Results:
Of the 769 autopsies included, based on a comparison of the cause of death between police FIR and autopsy reports, five different groups were established. 504 (65.5%) cases were categorized as “similar”, 74 (9.6%) cases as “dissimilar”, 72 cases (9.4%) had no cause of death mentioned in the FIR, 65 cases (8.5%) had no cause of death mentioned in the autopsy report and 54 cases (7%) neither the FIR nor the autopsy report stated any cause of death. The leading cause of death noted to be similar in FIR and autopsy was from firearm injuries.
Conclusion:
A large proportion of the cases included in the study had similar causes of death recorded in the FIR, documented before the autopsy was done and the autopsy report. The value of doing a complete autopsy stands questioned and it may be advisable to look into adopting alternate practices as seen in other parts of the world. Moreover, outdated, or absent guidelines for the actual carrying out of autopsies must be looked into and policies/ legislations surrounding it reviewed.