1. Minimally Invasive Tissue Sampling Findings in 12 Patients With Coronavirus Disease 2019.
- Author
-
Rakislova, Natalia, Rodrigo-Calvo, Maria Teresa, Marimon, Lorena, Ribera-Cortada, Inmaculada, Ismail, Mamudo R, Carrilho, Carla, Fernandes, Fabiola, Ferrando, Melania, Sanfeliu, Esther, Castillo, Paola, Guerrero, José, Ramírez-Ruz, José, Gordoa, Karmele Saez de, Campo, Ricardo López Del, Bishop, Rosanna, Ortiz, Estrella, Muñoz-Beatove, Abel, Vila, Jordi, Hurtado, Juan Carlos, and Navarro, Mireia
- Subjects
CROSS infection prevention ,TISSUE analysis ,SAFETY ,PULMONARY alveoli ,COVID-19 ,MONONUCLEAR leukocytes ,ENDOSCOPIC surgery ,AUTOPSY ,IMMUNOHISTOCHEMISTRY ,INFLAMMATION ,DEATH ,COVID-19 testing ,PERSONAL protective equipment ,HISTOLOGY ,POLYMERASE chain reaction ,T cells ,NEEDLE biopsy - Abstract
Background Minimally invasive tissue sampling (MITS), a postmortem procedure that uses core needle biopsy samples and does not require opening the body, may be a valid alternative to complete autopsy (CA) in highly infectious diseases such as coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19). This study aimed to (1) compare the performance of MITS and CA in a series of COVID-19 deaths and (2) evaluate the safety of the procedure. Methods From October 2020 to February 2021, MITS was conducted in 12 adults who tested positive before death for COVID-19, in a standard, well-ventilated autopsy room, where personnel used reinforced personal protective equipment. In 9 cases, a CA was performed after MITS. A thorough histological evaluation was conducted, and the presence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) was evaluated by real-time reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and immunohistochemistry. Results The diagnoses provided by MITS and CA matched almost perfectly. In 9 patients, COVID-19 was in the chain of events leading to death, being responsible for diffuse alveolar damage and mononuclear T-cell inflammatory response in the lungs. No specific COVID-19 features were identified. Three deaths were not related to COVID-19. All personnel involved in MITS repeatedly tested negative for COVID-19. SARS-CoV-2 was identified by RT-PCR and immunohistochemistry in the MITS samples, particularly in the lungs. Conclusions MITS is useful for evaluating COVID-19–related deaths in settings where a CA is not feasible. The results of this simplified and safer technique are comparable to those of CA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2021
- Full Text
- View/download PDF