Sudden Natural Death Due to Pulmonary Thromboembolism in the Medical Examiner's Jurisdiction

Abstract

A study of sudden natural death due to pulmonary thromboembolism was performed on the case files of the office of the Medical Examiner of Metropolitan Dade County in Miami, Florida; 150 cases which occurred during the five-year period 1982–6 were analysed. The average male victim was 63·4 years of age, 174·5 cm (68·7 in) in height, 78·0 kg (172 lb) in weight with a 475·5-gram (16·77 oz) heart, and with mild or moderate coronary artery disease. Racially, 42 per cent of the male victims were black and 58 per cent of them were white. The average female victim was 61·9 years of age, 162·3 cm (63·9 in) in height, 76·5 kg (168·7 lb) in weight with a 382·4-gram (13·49 oz) heart, and with mild or moderate coronary artery disease. Racially, the female group was approximately evenly divided between blaks and whites. In further analysis of the scene circumstances of the terminal event and the past medical history of the victim, approximately 21 per cent of the victims had had surgery or hospitalization within the 120 days preceeding demise. Only 4·7 per cent of the victims were taking anticoagulant medication at the time of their demise. A discussion ensues comparing these data to those from other studies and considering what role the forensic pathologist can have in future work on this phenomenon.