Characterization of autopsies performed at a Peruvian national hospital. 1993-2022

Roque-Roque J.S.; Huarcaya-Portilla A.E.; Santander-Cahuantico A.C.; Agustin-Paredes C.P.; Verona-Rubio R.O.; Chian-García C. · Revista Facultad de Medicina (2024) · DOI: 10.15446/revfacmed.v72n3.112492

Resumen

Introduction: An autopsy is a procedure that allows determining the cause of death. A decrease in clinical autopsies has been reported in several countries. Objective: To describe the characteristics, including diagnostic findings and trends, of medical autopsies performed at a national hospital in Peru between 1993 and 2022. Materials and methods: Descriptive study performed using data from 943 autopsies (nonviolent deaths) obtained from the autopsy registry of the Hospital Nacional Arzobispo Loayza (Lima, Peru). The annual proportion of autopsies was calculated for the periods 1993-1997 and 2005-2022. A trend analysis of the annual proportion of autopsies was performed using the Spearman rank correlation coefficient, considering a statistical significance value of p<0.05. Results: Autopsies were more frequent in women (55.04%) and older adults (27.78%). Furthermore, 50.16% of the autopsies were performed partially, and 48.46% of the patients died in the internal medicine inpatient service. The most frequent diagnostic findings were respiratory system diseases (19.25%), digestive system diseases (15.73%), and infectious/parasitic diseases (10.27%). The absolute frequency of autopsies showed an overall downward trend (95 autopsies in 1996, 47 in 2003, and 6 in 2022). On the other hand, the annual proportion of autopsies showed an increasing trend between 1993 and 1995 (6.17% vs. 9.44%; Rho=0.50; p=0.667), although this proportion decreased in 1997 (9.44% vs. 4.75%). In the period 2005-2022, an overall downward trend was observed (1.62% vs. 0.35%; Rho=-0.85; p<0.001). Conclusion: The frequency of autopsies showed an overall downward trend between 1993 and 2022. Moreover, autopsies were performed more frequently in women, older adults, and patients who died in the internal medicine inpatient service.

Instituciones: Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia; Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos; Universidad Nacional de San Antonio Abad del Cusco