title: [Adult autopsies in a French university hospital (CHU Amiens) for the period 1975-2005].
abstract: We have reviewed the pathological reports of adult necropsies performed in Amiens hospital during the 1975-2005 period. 1,639 autopsies were performed in 1,049 men and 590 women. We distinguished three periods: 1975-1987 (period 1) with a high number of autopsies (86/year), 1988-1996 (period 2) with a huge decrease of autopsies performed (43/year) and 1997-2005 (period 3) with few autopsies performed (14/year). Patients were younger during period 3, 38% were less than 50 years old versus 26% and 29% during periods 1 and 2. The sex ratio M/F increased during period 3 (2.7 versus 1.7 and 1.9 during periods 1 and 2). Period 3 showed an increase of major diagnoses discovered during autopsies (36% versus 28% of autopsies performed during periods 1 and 2) and showed an increase of autopsies performed after iatrogenic events (20% versus 12% and 13% of autopsies of periods 1 and 2). Period 3 showed an increase of the delay between the death of patients and autopsy and a decrease of the delay of transmission of pathological reports. 2% of autopsies were never answered by the pathologists. In conclusion, our study confirms the major decline of autopsies during the last 30 years. Patients autopsied are currently young men and the autopsies are more frequently performed in potential forensic circumstances. Selection biases explain that major diagnoses are more frequently found at autopsies nowadays than 30 years ago.
authors.affiliation: Service d'Anatomie Pathologique, CHU Amiens, Place Victor Pauchet, Amiens cedex 01. chatelain.denis@chu-amiens.fr
authors.forename: Denis
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Chatelain
authors.forename: Marie
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Brevet
authors.forename: Malika
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Guernou
authors.forename: Cécile
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Manaouil
authors.forename: Fabienne
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Leclercq
authors.forename: Alexis
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bruniau
authors.forename: Carole
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Cordonnier
authors.forename: Henri
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Sevestre
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001344:Autopsy / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D005602:France; D006785:Hospitals, University / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011180:Postmortem Changes; D012744:Sex Ratio; D013997:Time Factors