20 research outputs found
Validity of a minimally invasive autopsy for cause of death determination in maternal deaths in Mozambique: An observational study
BACKGROUND: Despite global health efforts to reduce maternal
mortality, rates continue to be unacceptably high in large parts
of the world. Feasible, acceptable, and accurate postmortem
sampling methods could provide the necessary evidence to improve
the understanding of the real causes of maternal mortality,
guiding the design of interventions to reduce this burden.
METHODS AND FINDINGS: The validity of a minimally invasive
autopsy (MIA) method in determining the cause of death was
assessed in an observational study in 57 maternal deaths by
comparing the results of the MIA with those of the gold standard
(complete diagnostic autopsy [CDA], which includes any available
clinical information). Concordance between the MIA and the gold
standard diagnostic categories was assessed by the kappa
statistic, and the sensitivity, specificity, positive and
negative predictive values and their 95% confidence intervals
(95% CI) to identify the categories of diagnoses were estimated.
The main limitation of the study is that both the MIA and the
CDA include some degree of subjective interpretation in the
attribution of cause of death. A cause of death was identified
in the CDA in 98% (56/57) of cases, with indirect obstetric
conditions accounting for 32 (56%) deaths and direct obstetric
complications for 24 (42%) deaths. Nonobstetric infectious
diseases (22/32, 69%) and obstetric hemorrhage (13/24, 54%) were
the most common causes of death among indirect and direct
obstetric conditions, respectively. Thirty-six (63%) women were
HIV positive, and HIV-related conditions accounted for 16 (28%)
of all deaths. Cerebral malaria caused 4 (7%) deaths. The MIA
identified a cause of death in 86% of women. The overall
concordance of the MIA with the CDA was moderate (kappa = 0.48,
95% CI: 0.31-0.66). Both methods agreed in 68% of the diagnostic
categories and the agreement was higher for indirect (91%) than
for direct obstetric causes (38%). All HIV infections and
cerebral malaria cases were identified in the MIA. The main
limitation of the technique is its relatively low performance
for identifying obstetric causes of death in the absence of
clinical information. CONCLUSIONS: The MIA procedure could be a
valuable tool to determine the causes of maternal death,
especially for indirect obstetric conditions, most of which are
infectious diseases. The information provided by the MIA could
help to prioritize interventions to reduce maternal mortality
and to monitor progress towards achieving global health targets
Validity of a minimally invasive autopsy for cause of death determination in stillborn babies and neonates in Mozambique: an observational study
Background Over 5 million stillbirths and neonatal deaths occur annually. Limited and imprecise information on the cause of these deaths hampers progress in achieving global health targets. Complete diagnostic autopsies (CDAs) the gold standard for cause of death determination are difficult to perform in most high-burden settings. Therefore, validation of simpler and more feasible methods is needed. Methods and findings In this observational study, the validity of a minimally invasive autopsy (MIA) method in determining the cause of death was assessed in 18 stillbirths and 41 neonatal deaths by comparing the results of the MIA with those of the CDA. Concordance between the categories of diseases obtained by the 2 methods was assessed by the Kappa statistic, and the sensitivity, specificity, positive, and negative predictive values of the MIA diagnoses were calculated. A cause of death was identified in 16/18 (89%) and 15/18 (83%) stillborn babies in the CDA and the MIA, respectively. Fetal growth restriction accounted for 39%, infectious diseases for 22%, intrapartum hypoxia for 17%, and intrauterine hypoxia for 11% of stillborn babies. Overall, the MIA showed in this group a substantial concordance with the CDA (Kappa = 0.78, 95% CI [0.56-0.99]). A cause of death was identified in all (100%) and 35/41 (85%) neonatal deaths in the CDA and the MIA, respectively. In this group, the majority of deaths were due to infectious diseases (66%). The overall concordance of the MIA with the CDA in neonates was moderate (Kappa = 0.40, 95% CI [0.18-0.63]). A high percentage of accuracy was observed for the MIA in all the diagnostic categories in both stillbirths and neonates (>75%). The main limitation of this study is that some degree of subjective interpretation is inherent to cause-of-death attribution in both the MIA and the CDA; this is especially so in stillbirths and in relation to fetal growth restriction. Conclusions The MIA could be a useful tool for cause-of-death determination in stillbirths and neonatal deaths. These findings may help to accelerate progress towards meeting global health targets by obtaining more accurate information on the causes of death in these age groups, which is essential in guiding the design of new interventions and increasing the effectiveness of those already implemented
Contribution of the clinical information to the accuracy of the minimally invasive and the complete diagnostic autopsy
Although autopsy diagnosis includes routinely, a thorough
evaluation of all available pathological results and also of any
available clinical data, the contribution of this clinical
information to the diagnostic yield of the autopsy has not been
analyzed. We aimed to determine to which degree the use of
clinical data improves the diagnostic accuracy of the complete
diagnostic autopsy (CDA) and the minimally invasive autopsy
(MIA), a simplified pathological postmortem procedure designed
for low-income sites. 264 coupled MIA and CDA procedures (112
adults, 57 maternal deaths, 54 children and 41 neonates) were
performed at the Maputo hospital, Mozambique. We compared the
diagnoses obtained by the MIA blind to clinical data (MIAb), the
MIA adding the clinical information (MIAc), and the CDA blind to
clinical information (CDAb), with the results of the gold
standard, the CDA with clinical data, by comparing the ICD-10
codes and the main diagnostic classes obtained with each
evaluation strategy (MIAb, MIAc, CDAb, CDAc). The clinical data
increased diagnostic coincidence to the MIAb with the gold
standard in 30/264 (11%) cases and modified the CDAb diagnosis
in 20/264 (8%) cases. The increase in concordance between MIAb
and MIAc with the gold standard was significant in neonatal
deaths (kappa increasing from 0.404 to 0.618, P=.0271), adult
deaths (kappa increasing from 0.732 to 0.813, P=.0221) and
maternal deaths (kappa increasing from 0.485 to 0.836,
P<.0001). In conclusion, the use of clinical information
increases the precision of MIA and CDA and may strengthen the
performance of the MIA in resource-limited settings
Postmortem Interval and Diagnostic Performance of the Autopsy Methods
Postmortem studies, including the complete diagnostic autopsy (CDA) and the minimally invasive autopsy (MIA), an innovative approach to post-mortem sampling and cause of death investigation, are commonly performed within 24 hours after death because the quality of the tissues deteriorates over time. This short timeframe may hamper the feasibility of the procedure. In this study, we compared the diagnostic performance of the two postmortem procedures when carried out earlier and later than 24 hours after death, as well as the impact of increasing postmortem intervals (PMIs) on the results of the microbiological tests in a series of 282 coupled MIA/CDA procedures performed at the Maputo Central Hospital in Mozambique between 2013 and 2015. 214 procedures were conducted within 24 hours of death (early autopsies), and 68 after 24 hours of death (late autopsies). No significant differences were observed in the number of non-conclusive diagnoses (2/214 [1%] vs. 1/68 [1%] p = 0.5645 for the CDA; 27/214 [13%] vs. 5/68 [7%] p = 0.2332 for the MIA). However, increasing PMIs were associated with a raise in the number of bacteria identified (rate: 1.014 per hour [95%CI: 1.002-1.026]; p = 0.0228). This increase was mainly due to rising numbers of bacteria of the Enterobacteriaceae family and Pseudomonas genus strains. Thus, performing MIA or CDA more than 24 hours after death can still render reliable diagnostic results, not only for non-infectious conditions but also for many infectious diseases, although, the contribution of Enterobacteriaceae and Pseudomonas spp. as etiological agents of infections leading to death may be overestimated
Validity of a minimally invasive autopsy for cause of death determination in maternal deaths in Mozambique: An observational study
BACKGROUND: Despite global health efforts to reduce maternal
mortality, rates continue to be unacceptably high in large parts
of the world. Feasible, acceptable, and accurate postmortem
sampling methods could provide the necessary evidence to improve
the understanding of the real causes of maternal mortality,
guiding the design of interventions to reduce this burden.
METHODS AND FINDINGS: The validity of a minimally invasive
autopsy (MIA) method in determining the cause of death was
assessed in an observational study in 57 maternal deaths by
comparing the results of the MIA with those of the gold standard
(complete diagnostic autopsy [CDA], which includes any available
clinical information). Concordance between the MIA and the gold
standard diagnostic categories was assessed by the kappa
statistic, and the sensitivity, specificity, positive and
negative predictive values and their 95% confidence intervals
(95% CI) to identify the categories of diagnoses were estimated.
The main limitation of the study is that both the MIA and the
CDA include some degree of subjective interpretation in the
attribution of cause of death. A cause of death was identified
in the CDA in 98% (56/57) of cases, with indirect obstetric
conditions accounting for 32 (56%) deaths and direct obstetric
complications for 24 (42%) deaths. Nonobstetric infectious
diseases (22/32, 69%) and obstetric hemorrhage (13/24, 54%) were
the most common causes of death among indirect and direct
obstetric conditions, respectively. Thirty-six (63%) women were
HIV positive, and HIV-related conditions accounted for 16 (28%)
of all deaths. Cerebral malaria caused 4 (7%) deaths. The MIA
identified a cause of death in 86% of women. The overall
concordance of the MIA with the CDA was moderate (kappa = 0.48,
95% CI: 0.31-0.66). Both methods agreed in 68% of the diagnostic
categories and the agreement was higher for indirect (91%) than
for direct obstetric causes (38%). All HIV infections and
cerebral malaria cases were identified in the MIA. The main
limitation of the technique is its relatively low performance
for identifying obstetric causes of death in the absence of
clinical information. CONCLUSIONS: The MIA procedure could be a
valuable tool to determine the causes of maternal death,
especially for indirect obstetric conditions, most of which are
infectious diseases. The information provided by the MIA could
help to prioritize interventions to reduce maternal mortality
and to monitor progress towards achieving global health targets
Validity of a minimally invasive autopsy for cause of death determination in stillborn babies and neonates in Mozambique: an observational study
Background Over 5 million stillbirths and neonatal deaths occur annually. Limited and imprecise information on the cause of these deaths hampers progress in achieving global health targets. Complete diagnostic autopsies (CDAs) the gold standard for cause of death determination are difficult to perform in most high-burden settings. Therefore, validation of simpler and more feasible methods is needed. Methods and findings In this observational study, the validity of a minimally invasive autopsy (MIA) method in determining the cause of death was assessed in 18 stillbirths and 41 neonatal deaths by comparing the results of the MIA with those of the CDA. Concordance between the categories of diseases obtained by the 2 methods was assessed by the Kappa statistic, and the sensitivity, specificity, positive, and negative predictive values of the MIA diagnoses were calculated. A cause of death was identified in 16/18 (89%) and 15/18 (83%) stillborn babies in the CDA and the MIA, respectively. Fetal growth restriction accounted for 39%, infectious diseases for 22%, intrapartum hypoxia for 17%, and intrauterine hypoxia for 11% of stillborn babies. Overall, the MIA showed in this group a substantial concordance with the CDA (Kappa = 0.78, 95% CI [0.56-0.99]). A cause of death was identified in all (100%) and 35/41 (85%) neonatal deaths in the CDA and the MIA, respectively. In this group, the majority of deaths were due to infectious diseases (66%). The overall concordance of the MIA with the CDA in neonates was moderate (Kappa = 0.40, 95% CI [0.18-0.63]). A high percentage of accuracy was observed for the MIA in all the diagnostic categories in both stillbirths and neonates (>75%). The main limitation of this study is that some degree of subjective interpretation is inherent to cause-of-death attribution in both the MIA and the CDA; this is especially so in stillbirths and in relation to fetal growth restriction. Conclusions The MIA could be a useful tool for cause-of-death determination in stillbirths and neonatal deaths. These findings may help to accelerate progress towards meeting global health targets by obtaining more accurate information on the causes of death in these age groups, which is essential in guiding the design of new interventions and increasing the effectiveness of those already implemented
Validity of a minimally invasive autopsy for cause of death determination in stillborn babies and neonates in Mozambique: an observational study
Background Over 5 million stillbirths and neonatal deaths occur annually. Limited and imprecise information on the cause of these deaths hampers progress in achieving global health targets. Complete diagnostic autopsies (CDAs) the gold standard for cause of death determination are difficult to perform in most high-burden settings. Therefore, validation of simpler and more feasible methods is needed. Methods and findings In this observational study, the validity of a minimally invasive autopsy (MIA) method in determining the cause of death was assessed in 18 stillbirths and 41 neonatal deaths by comparing the results of the MIA with those of the CDA. Concordance between the categories of diseases obtained by the 2 methods was assessed by the Kappa statistic, and the sensitivity, specificity, positive, and negative predictive values of the MIA diagnoses were calculated. A cause of death was identified in 16/18 (89%) and 15/18 (83%) stillborn babies in the CDA and the MIA, respectively. Fetal growth restriction accounted for 39%, infectious diseases for 22%, intrapartum hypoxia for 17%, and intrauterine hypoxia for 11% of stillborn babies. Overall, the MIA showed in this group a substantial concordance with the CDA (Kappa = 0.78, 95% CI [0.56-0.99]). A cause of death was identified in all (100%) and 35/41 (85%) neonatal deaths in the CDA and the MIA, respectively. In this group, the majority of deaths were due to infectious diseases (66%). The overall concordance of the MIA with the CDA in neonates was moderate (Kappa = 0.40, 95% CI [0.18-0.63]). A high percentage of accuracy was observed for the MIA in all the diagnostic categories in both stillbirths and neonates (>75%). The main limitation of this study is that some degree of subjective interpretation is inherent to cause-of-death attribution in both the MIA and the CDA; this is especially so in stillbirths and in relation to fetal growth restriction. Conclusions The MIA could be a useful tool for cause-of-death determination in stillbirths and neonatal deaths. These findings may help to accelerate progress towards meeting global health targets by obtaining more accurate information on the causes of death in these age groups, which is essential in guiding the design of new interventions and increasing the effectiveness of those already implemented
Contribution of the clinical information to the accuracy of the minimally invasive and the complete diagnostic autopsy
Although autopsy diagnosis includes routinely, a thorough
evaluation of all available pathological results and also of any
available clinical data, the contribution of this clinical
information to the diagnostic yield of the autopsy has not been
analyzed. We aimed to determine to which degree the use of
clinical data improves the diagnostic accuracy of the complete
diagnostic autopsy (CDA) and the minimally invasive autopsy
(MIA), a simplified pathological postmortem procedure designed
for low-income sites. 264 coupled MIA and CDA procedures (112
adults, 57 maternal deaths, 54 children and 41 neonates) were
performed at the Maputo hospital, Mozambique. We compared the
diagnoses obtained by the MIA blind to clinical data (MIAb), the
MIA adding the clinical information (MIAc), and the CDA blind to
clinical information (CDAb), with the results of the gold
standard, the CDA with clinical data, by comparing the ICD-10
codes and the main diagnostic classes obtained with each
evaluation strategy (MIAb, MIAc, CDAb, CDAc). The clinical data
increased diagnostic coincidence to the MIAb with the gold
standard in 30/264 (11%) cases and modified the CDAb diagnosis
in 20/264 (8%) cases. The increase in concordance between MIAb
and MIAc with the gold standard was significant in neonatal
deaths (kappa increasing from 0.404 to 0.618, P=.0271), adult
deaths (kappa increasing from 0.732 to 0.813, P=.0221) and
maternal deaths (kappa increasing from 0.485 to 0.836,
P<.0001). In conclusion, the use of clinical information
increases the precision of MIA and CDA and may strengthen the
performance of the MIA in resource-limited settings
Postmortem Interval and Diagnostic Performance of the Autopsy Methods
Postmortem studies, including the complete diagnostic autopsy (CDA) and the minimally invasive autopsy (MIA), an innovative approach to post-mortem sampling and cause of death investigation, are commonly performed within 24 hours after death because the quality of the tissues deteriorates over time. This short timeframe may hamper the feasibility of the procedure. In this study, we compared the diagnostic performance of the two postmortem procedures when carried out earlier and later than 24 hours after death, as well as the impact of increasing postmortem intervals (PMIs) on the results of the microbiological tests in a series of 282 coupled MIA/CDA procedures performed at the Maputo Central Hospital in Mozambique between 2013 and 2015. 214 procedures were conducted within 24 hours of death (early autopsies), and 68 after 24 hours of death (late autopsies). No significant differences were observed in the number of non-conclusive diagnoses (2/214 [1%] vs. 1/68 [1%] p = 0.5645 for the CDA; 27/214 [13%] vs. 5/68 [7%] p = 0.2332 for the MIA). However, increasing PMIs were associated with a raise in the number of bacteria identified (rate: 1.014 per hour [95%CI: 1.002-1.026]; p = 0.0228). This increase was mainly due to rising numbers of bacteria of the Enterobacteriaceae family and Pseudomonas genus strains. Thus, performing MIA or CDA more than 24 hours after death can still render reliable diagnostic results, not only for non-infectious conditions but also for many infectious diseases, although, the contribution of Enterobacteriaceae and Pseudomonas spp. as etiological agents of infections leading to death may be overestimated
Postmortem Interval and Diagnostic Performance of the Autopsy Methods
Postmortem studies, including the complete diagnostic autopsy (CDA) and the minimally invasive autopsy (MIA), an innovative approach to post-mortem sampling and cause of death investigation, are commonly performed within 24 hours after death because the quality of the tissues deteriorates over time. This short timeframe may hamper the feasibility of the procedure. In this study, we compared the diagnostic performance of the two postmortem procedures when carried out earlier and later than 24 hours after death, as well as the impact of increasing postmortem intervals (PMIs) on the results of the microbiological tests in a series of 282 coupled MIA/CDA procedures performed at the Maputo Central Hospital in Mozambique between 2013 and 2015. 214 procedures were conducted within 24 hours of death (early autopsies), and 68 after 24 hours of death (late autopsies). No significant differences were observed in the number of non-conclusive diagnoses (2/214 [1%] vs. 1/68 [1%] p = 0.5645 for the CDA; 27/214 [13%] vs. 5/68 [7%] p = 0.2332 for the MIA). However, increasing PMIs were associated with a raise in the number of bacteria identified (rate: 1.014 per hour [95%CI: 1.002-1.026]; p = 0.0228). This increase was mainly due to rising numbers of bacteria of the Enterobacteriaceae family and Pseudomonas genus strains. Thus, performing MIA or CDA more than 24 hours after death can still render reliable diagnostic results, not only for non-infectious conditions but also for many infectious diseases, although, the contribution of Enterobacteriaceae and Pseudomonas spp. as etiological agents of infections leading to death may be overestimated