0000000000235282
AUTHOR
Patrizia Gualniera
An unusual case of sudden cardiac death during sexual intercourse
The most common cause of sudden death during sexual intercourse in adults is heart disease, and it is usually the male, whereas the death of the woman is unusual. Generally, in these cases, death occurs as a result of cardiovascular disease. The authors report an unusual case of the sudden death of a young woman during sexual intercourse. The post-mortem investigations (autopsy, cardiac nuclear magnetic resonance and cardiac histology) demonstrated a previously undiagnosed arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy. The terminal cause of death was a malignant arrhythmia from arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy. This is the first report of a case in which sexual activity ca…
Post-cesarean necrotizing fasciitis caused by surgical site infection
Necrotizing fasciitis (NF) is a rare, but rapidly progressive, potentially life-threatening soft tissue infection, with an incidence of 0.15-0.55 cases per 100,000 population. the gynecological-obstetric literature describes cases of NF due to surgical site infection (SSi) after cesarean delivery. this article discusses issues in the medicolegal evaluation of NF and the importance of prophylactic procedures, risk management protocols, and prompt diagnosis of this condition. two cases of post-cesarean NF due to SSi are reported. in both cases the responsibility lay with the hospitals and the medical staff owing to failure to adopt adequate SSi prophylaxis and to establish a timely diagnosis …
Pathological Findings in COVID-19 as a Tool to Define SARS-CoV-2 Pathogenesis. A Systematic Review
Introduction: The World Health Organization declared the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020. COVID-19 still represents a worldwide health emergency, which causesa severe disease that has led to the death of many patients. The pathophysiological mechanism of SARS-CoV-2 determining the tissue damage is not clear and autopsycan be auseful tool to improve the knowledge of this infection and, thus, it can help achieve a timely diagnosis and develop an appropriate therapy. This is an overview of the main post-mortem findings reporting data on the infection effects on several organs.Methods: A systematic literature search was conducted in the PubMed database searching for articles from 1 January to A…
La sicurezza del paziente in ambiente ospedaliero e la responsabilità professionale dei vertici strategici
[Patient safety in the hospital setting and the professional responsibilities of top managers] The authors underline the evolution of legislation concerning the creation of Hospital Companies and the reasons for the implementation of clinical risk management activities, then analyse the responsibilities involving the top figures of the top hospital management. In particular, the authors highlight the obligation and responsibilities of the strategic apex of a Hospital Company and show that, sometimes, the technical consultants – who express a medical-legal advice – underestimate the responsibility of these figures. It is a management responsibility that determines the obvious and inevitable …
Dystrophin and metalloproteinase 9 in myocardial ischemia: A post-mortem immunohistochemical study
The presented study evaluated the expression of dystrophin and MMP-9 in cases of sudden cardiac death (SCD) due to coronary atherosclerotic disease (CAD) in order to analyze the characteristics and the chronology of their expression, providing evidence on the possible role in post-mortem diagnosis of myocardial ischemia. The expression of these proteins was also compared to C5b-9 complex and fibronectin expression to evaluate any differences. Two groups of CAD-related SCD, respectively group 1 with gross and/or histological evidence and group 2 with no specific histological signs of myocardial ischemia, were used. A third group formed by cases of acute mechanical asphyxiation was used as a …
Membrane Attack Complex in Myocardial Ischemia/Reperfusion Injury: A Systematic Review for Post Mortem Applications
The complement system has a significant role in myocardial ischemia/reperfusion injury, being responsible for cell lysis and amplification of inflammatory response. In this context, several studies highlight that terminal complement complex C5b-9, also known as the membrane attack complex (MAC), is a significant contributor. The MAC functions were studied by many researchers analyzing the characteristics of its activation in myocardial infarction. Here, a systematic literature review was reported to evaluate the principal features, advantages, and limits (regarding the application) of complement components and MAC in post mortem settings to perform the diagnosis of myocardial ischemia/infar…
Fire in operating room: The adverse "never" event. Case report, mini-review and medico-legal considerations.
Abstract The patient’s security and safety represent a topic of great importance for public health that led several healthcare organizations in many Countries to share documents to promote risk management and preventing adverse events. Surgical Fire (SF) is an infrequent adverse event generally occurring in the operating room (OR) and consisting of a fire that occurs in, on, or around a patient undergoing a medical or surgical procedure. Here a medico-legal case involving a 65-year-old woman reporting burns to the neck due to an SF during a thyroidectomy was described. A literature review was performed using Pubmed and Scopus databases, focusing on epidemiology, causes, prevention activitie…