AUTOPSY

Abstract

Background: One of the most frustrating challenges faced by the medicolegal doctors/ forensic pathologists is the inability to determine the cause of death in casesof sudden / unexpected deaths of medicolegal nature even after detailed autopsy as well asHistopathological / Toxicological analysis. Objective: The study was aimed to find out thepercentage of negative autopsy against the total cases of medicolegal autopsies conductedduring the study period in Lakki Marwat KPK. Material and methods: The study was carried outin DHQ Lakki Marwat based upon five years autopsy data from 1st January 2013 to 31st December2017. All the medico legal autopsies were included in the study whereas; the cases of allegedcustodial deaths / police encounters were excluded. The cases where gross examination atinitial autopsy, histopathalogical examination & toxicological analysis failed to detect the causeof death were labeled as negative autopsies. Study design: Descriptive, Retrospective Study.Setting: The study was conducted at DHQ hospital Lakki Marwat. Period: 1st January 2013to 25th June 2017. Results: Out of the total 200 autopsies, there were 39 negative autopsiescomprising of 26 (60.46%) males and 17(39.53%) females. Conclusion: The cases of negativeautopsy are higher at lakki marwat as compared to international perspectives.the negativeautopsies are higher because of the inadequate training of doctors or limited resources likeavailability of histo-pathological labs, analytical services and radiological facilities. Postmortemunits and toxicology laboratories are not equipped according to the modern standards in thelight of recent advances in the field of medico legal death investigation.