Sudden cardiac death due to an anomalous posterior papillary muscle.

Anomalies of the mitral subvalvular apparatus can include differing types of papillary muscles and chordae tendinae. Direct insertion of the anomalous papillary muscle or chordae tendinea into the anterior mitral leaflet and fusion to the ventricular septum are common findings related to these anomalies. Anomalous papillary muscles or chordae, especially those that insert directly into the mitral leaflets, play a role in obstructing left ventricular outflow by restricting the mobility of the leaflets and/or tethering them toward the septum, thus narrowing the left ventricular outflow tract (LVOT). The incidence of mitral valve anomalies associated with LVOT is probably underestimated. This topic is frequently studied, however, especially in the pediatric cardiac surgery milieu, because LVOT obstruction could have a surgical solution. We report a case of an 18-year-old woman affected by epilepsy since 5 months of age who was found dead in her bedroom. An uncommon anomalous papillary muscle/chordae was the main autopsy finding. This malformation causes direct continuity between an accessory papillary muscle and a mitral leaflet, resulting in a long rigid area that can cause dynamic late-systolic intraleft-ventricular obstruction. In our case, in the absence of any other pathologic findings or major structural abnormalities, we speculate that a malignant cardiac arrhythmia provoked by the accessory papillary muscle could be the cause of death.

A case of toxic shock due to clandestine abortion by misoprostol self-administration.

Maternal mortality and morbidity are the leading causes of death and illness, respectively, among women of reproductive age in many countries throughout the world. Of all maternal deaths, those related to unsafe abortions are the most widely underestimated, but they are also the most largely preventable. Medical abortion is a safe and reliable method for termination of a pregnancy in early gestation, although it is important to be aware of signs and symptoms of severe infection and toxic shock syndrome after the medical termination of pregnancy; case studies in literature are rarely fatal events. We report the first case of septic shock syndrome following a clandestine pregnancy termination with a misoprostol-only regimen (12 tablets 200 µg each). Autopsy findings and histopathological examination proved that the woman died from septic shock. This case suggests to improve the forensic investigations in case of unsafe, often clandestine, abortion is suspected.

Discrepancies in death certificates, public health registries, and judicial determinations in Italy.

The death certificate is mandated by civil law and serves as a medical-scientific document useful for biostatistics and epidemiological research. For a variety of reasons, death certificates can be misclassified. We reviewed data from self-inflicted deaths collected over an 8-year period by the Forensic Institute of the University Sacro Cuore of Rome (Italy). Four hundred and thirty-five of 2904 were classified as self-inflicted deaths (15%). The comparison with death certificates processed by the local public health authority (ASL) and by the Italian National Census Bureau (Istat) and with the judicial investigation results available in the Italian Penal Court archive shows some discrepancies. One-hundred and twenty-four of 435 deaths were not considered to be self-inflicted but due to a crime (29% overrecording suicide) with a higher reduction for women, suggesting that it is easier to confuse a murder for suicide in female cases. Any discrepancies between the mortality and crime data are discussed in details.

Placental Site Trophoblastic Tumor with lung metastases as cause of death in a young patient: a case report.

Placental Site Trophoblastic Tumor (PSTT) is a rare form of Gestational Trophoblastic Disease (GTD). Approximately 200 cases have been reported in the literature. This disease has unpredictable biological behavior, whereas approximately 10-15% have clinically malignant evolution. We present the case of a 21-year old woman at first pregnancy without known previous abortion at 25 weeks of amenorrhea who was admitted to the hospital for hyperemesis, hepatic problems and important weight loss registered during the last few months. Few days after the admission, the patient suddenly died before the doctors can reach a diagnosis. A forensic investigation for medical malpractice was initiated. Samples collected from uterus at the autopsy revealed large trophoblastic cells with eosinophilic cytoplasm. Deposition of fibrinoid material was noticed between trophoblastic cells. Tumor cells dissected through the myometrium and invaded into the vascular spaces. Specimens of the lungs revealed numerous small neoplastic emboli into the vessels. We show autopsy and histological findings of PSTT in a young woman, which are very rarely described in the literature and we discuss the medico-legal implications related to the great difficulties of the gynecologists who faced this rare condition in term of diagnosis and prediction of biological behavior, outlining effective therapeutic approaches.