Sudden and Unexpected Natural Deaths - A Four-Year Autopsy Review

Sudden and unexpected death is an indication for a medicolegal autopsy. The present study constitutes both Prospective and Retrospective periods and was undertaken in Department of Forensic-Medicine at R.M.C. Loni, India, between the period Jan 2000 to Dec. 2004, with the object of studying this untimely deaths. A total of 1176 Medico-Legal Autopsies were performed during this period. Sudden and Unexplained deaths formed 8.67% of Medico Legal Autopsies, with Male to Female ratio of 5.8:1. About 66.67% of cases were due to Cardiovascular Pathology, 27.45% were due to Pulmonary Pathology. All natural deaths occurring within 24hours (WHO) from the onset of signs and symptoms were considered. Cases involving trauma, drugs, poison, asphyxia, decomposition were excluded.