Autopsy insights from the EVALI epidemic

Abstract

The first recorded autopsy was that of Julius Caesar in 44 BCE to establish which knife wound had caused his death; the wound that ruptured his aorta was the culprit. Autopsies have been the foundation of medical advancement over the subsequent centuries, and were done in 40–60% of all hospital deaths as recently as the 1950s.1,2 With increasingly sophisticated imaging and diagnostic advancements, autopsy rates have declined substantially to less than 1%.3 Despite these advancements, clinically missed diagnoses involving a primary cause of death are found at autopsy about 8–24% of the time.