Postmortem Examination of Patients With COVID-19
Tina Schaller, Klaus Hirschbühl, Katrin Burkhardt, Georg Braun, Martin Trepel, Bruno Märkl, Rainer Claus
Abstract
Approximately 15% of individuals affected by coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) develop severe disease, and 5% to 6% are critically ill (respiratory failure and/or multiple organ dysfunction or failure). Severely ill and critically ill patients have a high mortality rate, especially with older age and coexisting medical conditions. Because there are still insufficient data on cause of death, we describe postmortem examinations in a case series of patients with COVID-19.
Topics & Concepts
MedicineCoronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)2019-20 coronavirus outbreakSevere acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)BetacoronavirusCoronavirus InfectionsPathologyVirologyDiseaseOutbreakInfectious disease (medical specialty)COVID-19 and healthcare impactsCOVID-19 Clinical Research StudiesClimate Change and Health Impacts