Comparative Analysis of Autopsy Case Characteristics Before and During the COVID-19 Lockdown at DHQ Sahiwal: Autopsy Case Characteristics Before and During the COVID-19 Lockdown

Noureen Hafeez; Syeda Hina Zehra; Tasneem Murad; Abdul Rehman; Amna Zafar; Sanaila  Gull Sana

doi:10.54393/pjhs.v6i4.2630

Authors

Noureen Hafeez Department of Forensic Medicine, National University of Sciences and Technology, Islamabad, Pakistan
Syeda Hina Zehra Department of Forensic Medicine, Khyber Girls Medical College, Peshawar, Pakistan
Tasneem Murad Department of Forensic Medicine, Islamic International Medical College, Islamabad, Pakistan
Abdul Rehman Department of Forensic Medicine, GCC Diagnostic Center, Islamabad, Pakistan
Amna Zafar Department of Forensic Medicine, Akhtar Saeed Medical College, Rawalpindi, Pakistan
Sanaila Gull Sana Department of Forensic Medicine, Federal Medical College, Islamabad, Pakistan

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.54393/pjhs.v6i4.2630

Keywords:

COVID-19, Autopsy, Lockdown, Characteristics

Abstract

COVID-19 has impacted all spheres of life during the pandemic era. It not only affected health but also impacted the socioeconomic conditions of our lives. In hospitals, autopsies continued to be conducted during the pandemic. The Lockdown has not impacted autopsy conduct in hospitals. Objective: To compare and identify various characteristics of autopsies conducted in 2019 and 2020. Methods: An observational retrospective study was conducted from 15^th March 2020 to August 2020 and from 15^th March 2019 to August 2019 in DHQ Sahiwal. Data were analyzed through SPSS 27. Results: A total of 257 autopsy cases were collected, of which 114 cases were referred in 2019, while the remaining 143 cases were from 2020. The most prominent cause of death in 2019 and 2020 was trauma, at almost 64% and 63.6%, respectively. The highly prevalent manner of death was homicidal, in 2019 it was 47.4%, and in 2020 it was 46.2%. Conclusions: It was concluded that the COVID-19 lockdown did not significantly influence the character of the autopsy cases that were referred to DHQ Sahiwal.

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