Coronavirus Disease 2019 Diagnosed through a Forensic Autopsy: A Case Report

Abstract

Despite the high mortality rate associated with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), no clinical autopsy has been reported among the deceased during the pandemic by the Korean quarantine authorities. Notably, since 2020, forensic autopsies are performed in suspected and confirmed cases of COVID-19 infection. The first case of death secondary to COVID-19 pneumonia in Korea was reported in November 2021. We recently performed a forensic autopsy of a couple (85-year-old man and 81-year-old woman) who were discovered dead at home. Gross examination showed lobar consolidation of lungs, and microscopic evaluation revealed diffuse alveolar injury in the acute phase and thrombi in small arterioles; these findings were consistent with those reported by previous studies that have described COVID-19 pneumonia. Based on the aforementioned findings, we concluded that the couple died of COVID-19, and our study is the second Korean study to report these findings.