Transmission des certificats de décès au CépiDc-Inserm en cas de mort suspecte en France, depuis 2000

Abstract

BackgroundThe purpose of this study is to assess variability in death certificates’ transmission related to suspicious deaths. MethodsThe medical part of death certificates of suspicious deaths (violent or sudden deaths, unknown or ill-defined causes of death) were examined. We studied the frequency of suspicious deaths, in France, for deaths aged under 65, from 2000 to 2013, searching for temporal (2000–2013) and spatial correlations between unknown causes of death and other suspicious causes, and report of an autopsy. These results were compared with external data. ResultsStandardized proportion of deaths by unknown cause more than doubled during the study period (from 3.4 to 7.5%). The spatial correlation was strongly negative between standardized proportions of unknown causes of death and violent deaths (ICC=−0.80). Report of autopsy varied with cause of suspicious death and estimated zone of the forensic institute. The distribution was consistently distributed with external data, except for homicides. ConclusionInformation transmission to CépiDc-Inserm needs to be improved in case of suspicious death, in particularly from forensic institutes. This study emphasizes the urgent need for a complementary form to the death certificate.