title: [Problems and advantages of autopsy in the case of out-of-hospital childhood death: report of 2 cases].
abstract: In France, the number of deaths remains high in the pediatric population. These deaths are rarely subject to a scientific or forensic autopsy. However, this medical act appears necessary to answer the many private and public questions (public health, prevention, judicial, or even institutional) that can arise. Two pediatric clinical observations raising these questions in the context of a household accident are presented. In the first one, the death led to the establishment of a forensic obstacle to the burial and a forensic autopsy. The autopsy results provided answers, both to the relatives and to the court. The second concerns a deceased child managed within the protocol for sudden infant death syndrome. The autopsy was not authorized by the parents and no answer on the causes of death could be determined. These 2 observations underline the importance and utility of this medical act.
authors.affiliation: Service de médecine légale clinique, CHU de Grenoble, BP 217, 38043 Grenoble cedex 09, France. VScolan@chu-grenoble.fr
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Scolan
authors.forename: A-P
authors.initials: AP
authors.lastname: Michard-Lenoir
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Wroblewski
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Durand
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Stahl
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Paysant
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Peoc'h
mesh_terms: D001344:Autopsy; D002423:Cause of Death; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male