Remote post-mortem radiology reporting in disaster victim identification: experience gained in the 2017 Grenfell Tower disaster

Guy N Rutty,Claire Robinson,Alison Brough,Jessica Dolan,Philip Webster,Bruno Morgan,Ann Heathcote,Mike J P Biggs

doi:10.1007/s00414-019-02109-x

Abstract

On 14 June 2017 at 00:54 h, the worst residential fire since the conclusion of the Second World War broke out in Flat 16, 4th floor of the 24-storey residential Grenfell Tower Block of flats, North Kensington, West London, UK. Seventy-one adults and children died, including one stillbirth. All victims of the Grenfell Tower disaster who died at the scene underwent post-mortem computed tomography (PMCT) imaging using a mortuary-sited mobile computed tomography scanner. For the first time, to the authors’ knowledge, the disaster victim identification (DVI) radiology reporting was undertaken remote to the mortuary scanning. Over an 11-week period, 119 scans were undertaken on 16 days, with up to 18 scans a day. These were delivered to a remote reporting centre at Leicester on 13 days with between 2 and 20 scans arriving each day. Using a disaster-specific process pathway, a team of 4 reporters, with 3 support staff members, trialled a prototype INTERPOL DVI radiology reporting form and produced full radiology reports and supporting image datasets such that they were able to provide 96% of prototype DVI forms, 99% of image datasets and 86% of preliminary reports to the DVI teams in London within one working day of image receipt. This paper describes the first use of remote radiology reporting for DVI and exemplifies how remote PMCT reporting can be used to support a DVI process of this scale.

Highlights

IntroductionRutty and Claire Robinson contributed to this work
Since Rutty et al [1, 2] first reported the use of mobile postmortem computed tomography (PMCT) in a multiple fatality incident in 2007, PMCT has slowly become more widely utilised in disaster victim identification (DVI), as it becomes more globally integrated into autopsy practice
These were delivered to Leicester over 13 days, with 2 to 20 scans arriving on each day

Summary

Introduction

Rutty and Claire Robinson contributed to this work. Since Rutty et al [1, 2] first reported the use of mobile postmortem computed tomography (PMCT) in a multiple fatality incident in 2007, PMCT has slowly become more widely utilised in disaster victim identification (DVI), as it becomes more globally integrated into autopsy practice. The role of PMCT in DVI is exemplified by the paper of O’Donnell et al [3] concerning the 2009 Victorian bushfires and more recently in its role in the MH17 investigation [4, 5]. The International Society for Forensic Radiology and Imaging (ISFRI) DVI working group has issued international guidance on the use of radiology, and PMCT, in DVI through a series of ISFRI positional statements [6,7,8,9]

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Discussion

Conclusion