1. A technical report from the Italian SARS-CoV-2 outbreak. Postmortem sampling and autopsy investigation in cases of suspected or probable COVID-19.
- Author
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Santurro, Alessandro, Scopetti, Matteo, D'Errico, Stefano, and Fineschi, Vittorio
- Subjects
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COVID-19 , *SARS-CoV-2 , *AUTOPSY , *FORENSIC pathology , *COVID-19 pandemic , *SCIENTIFIC knowledge - Abstract
SARS-CoV-2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2) is a coronavirus responsible for COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) which resulted in a cluster of cases of pneumonia that originated in China around 31 December 2019 and has subsequently spread across the globe. Currently, COVID-19 represents a health emergency worldwide, leading, in severe cases, to pneumonia, severe acute respiratory syndrome, multiorgan dysfunction or failure, and death. In the context of limited scientific knowledge and evidence of SARS-CoV-2 infection, guidance is becoming increasingly necessary for pathologists who have to perform postmortem investigations on COVID-19 cases. The aim of the present report is to share a procedure applicable to cases of COVID-19-related death, particularly in cases of death without medical intervention and in the absence of an ascertained SARS-CoV-2 infection and/or COVID-19 diagnosis, therefore providing support for diagnostic activity in the present COVID-19 pandemic. For this purpose, a standard operating procedure for correct swab collection, autopsy investigation and tissue sampling is provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2020
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