Sudden natural death in Khartoum Mortuary

Background: The sudden natural death is defined as: Death occurs within 24 hours from the onset of symptoms. The disclosing of the causes of sudden natural death is important for prevention and improving outcome. The objectives of this study were to determine the causes of sudden natural death in Khartoum Mortuary Methods: Descriptive, cross- sectional study of natural sudden death in Khartoum Mortuary, which was located in Khartoum Teaching Hospital and offers services to the state. The autopsy records of 2007, which were 150, were considered. Data were collected by a structured check list, and analysis was done by the SPSS soft ware. Results:The most important systems involved in sudden natural deaths were respiratory (49.3%), cardiovascular (24%), gastro intestinal (15.3%) and cerebral (4%), while the leading causes of sudden natural death were pneumonia (20%), myocardial infarction (17.3%) and tuberculosis (14%). Sudden natural death occurred in slightly higher ratio in the age group 40 years and below (50.1%), males were dominating (83%). Conclusion: The commonest causes of sudden natural death, which were pneumonia, myocardial infarction and tuberculosis, were different from the literature in which the commonest causes were myocardial infarction followed by pulmonary embolism. The study highlighted the importance of respiratory diseases besides myocardial infarction as leading causes of sudden natural death, and the need for further researches in this issue. Keywords: pneumonia, myocardial infarction and tuberculosis, postmortem Sudan Journal of Medical Science Vol. 3 (4) 2008: pp. 319-32