Evaluation of Concordance Between Original Death Certifications and an Expert Panel Process in the Determination of Sudden Unexplained Death in Childhood

Autor: Thomas A. Andrew, J C Upshaw Downs, Alex K. Williamson, Peter T. Lin, J. Keith Pinckard, Kristin Roman, Laura Gould Crandall, Christopher William, Heather S Jarrell, Daniel Friedman, Katherine Maloney, Joyce H. Lee, R. Ross Reichard, Kristen Landi, Orrin Devinsky, Joseph J. Maleszewski, Kelly Lear, Kathy Pinneri
Rok vydání: 2020
Předmět:
Zdroj: JAMA Network Open
ISSN: 2574-3805
DOI: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2020.23262
Popis: Key Points Question Does the US death investigation system underestimate the frequency of sudden unexplained death in childhood (SUDC)? Findings In this case series of the SUDC Registry and Research Collaborative, 2 forensic pathologists from a pool of 13 independently reviewed 100 cases of SUDC. These reviewers were discordant with the original certifier’s cause of death opinion in 40% of cases, including 28 cases originally considered accidental or natural but adjudicated as unexplained by our review. Meaning This study suggests that the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention underestimates the rate of SUDC and that there is a low rate of consistency in death certification of sudden unexpected pediatric deaths.
This case series evaluates the frequency of sudden unexplained death in childhood (SUDC), explains its epidemiology, and assesses the consistency of death certification among medical examiner and coroner offices in the US death investigation system.
Importance The true incidence of sudden unexplained death in childhood (SUDC), already the fifth leading category of death among toddlers by current US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates, is potentially veiled by the varied certification processes by medicolegal investigative offices across the United States. Objective To evaluate the frequency of SUDC incidence, understand its epidemiology, and assess the consistency of death certification among medical examiner and coroner offices in the US death investigation system. Design, Setting, and Participants In this case series, 2 of 13 forensic pathologists (FPs) conducted masked reviews of 100 cases enrolled in the SUDC Registry and Research Collaborative (SUDCRRC). Children who died aged 11 months to 18 years from 36 US states, Canada, and the United Kingdom had been posthumously enrolled in the SUDCRRC by family members from 2014 to 2017. Comprehensive data from medicolegal investigative offices, clinical offices, and family members were reviewed. Data analysis was conducted from December 2014 to June 2020. Main Outcomes and Measures Certified cause of death (COD) characterized as explained (accidental or natural) or unexplained, as determined by SUDCRRC masked review process. Results In this study of 100 cases of SUDC (mean [SD] age, 32.1 [31.8] months; 58 [58.0%] boys; 82 [82.0%] White children; 92 [92.0%] from the United States), the original pathologist certified 43 cases (43.0%) as explained COD and 57 (57.0%) as unexplained COD. The SUDCRRC review process led to the following certifications: 16 (16.0%) were explained, 7 (7.0%) were undetermined because of insufficient data, and 77 (77.0%) were unexplained. Experts disagreed with the original COD in 40 cases (40.0%). These data suggest that SUDC incidence is higher than the current Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate (ie, 392 deaths in 2018). Conclusions and Relevance To our knowledge, this is the first comprehensive masked forensic pathology review process of sudden unexpected pediatric deaths, and it suggests that SUDC may often go unrecognized in US death investigations. Some unexpected pediatric deaths may be erroneously attributed to a natural or accidental COD, negatively affecting surveillance, research, public health funding, and medical care of surviving family members. To further address the challenges of accurate and consistent death certification in SUDC, future studies are warranted.
Databáze: OpenAIRE
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