Comparison between postmortem computed tomography and autopsy in the detection of traumatic head injuries.

INTRODUCTION: The aim of this study was to assess the agreement between postmortem computed tomography (PMCT) and autopsy in detecting traumatic head injuries. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Consecutive cases of death that underwent both unenhanced PMCT and conventional autopsy were collected from our institution database during a period of 3 years and reviewed retrospectively. PMCT images were reviewed for the presence of fractures (cranial vault, skull base, facial bones and atlas/axis) and intracranial hemorrhage. Kappa values were calculated to determine the agreement between PMCT and autopsy reports. RESULTS: 73 cases were included, of which 44 (60%) had head trauma. Agreement between PMCT and autopsy was almost perfect (κ = 0.95) for fractures and substantial (κ = 0.75) for intracranial hemorrhage. PMCT was superior to autopsy in detecting facial bone and upper cervical spine fractures, and intraventricular hemorrhage. However, in some cases thin extra-axial blood collections were missed on PMCT. CONCLUSIONS: The agreement between PMCT and autopsy in detecting traumatic head injuries was good. Using a combination of both techniques increases the quality of postmortem evaluation because more lesions are detected.

Frontotemporal lobar degeneration: diversity of FTLD lesions.

Frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD) is a heterogeneous group including both sporadic and familial diseases, characterized by a macroscopic alteration. It may correspond to various cognitive syndromes: behavioral variant of frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD), progressive nonfluent aphasia, and semantic dementia. The neuropathologic classification is now based on identification of the protein that accumulates in neurons and glia: Tau, TAR DNA Binding Protein 43 (TDP-43), and FUsed in Sarcoma (FUS). The disorders in which the corresponding proteins accumulate have been named FTLD-Tau, FTLD-TDP, and FTLD-FUS. FTLD-Tau includes sporadic cases (e.g. Pick's disease) and Tau mutations. FTLD-TDP are subdivided within four types (A, B, C, D) according to the shape and distribution of TDP-43 positive lesions within the associative frontal cortex. The FTLD-FUS group includes atypical FTLD with ubiquitinated lesions (FTLD-U), Neuronal Intermediate Filament Inclusion Disease (NIFID) and Basophilic Inclusion Body Disease (BIBD).

Post mortem scientific sampling and the search for causes of death in intensive care: what information should be given and what consent should be obtained?

PURPOSE: The search for cause of death is important to improve knowledge and provide answers for the relatives of the deceased. Medical autopsy following unexplained death in hospital is one way to identify cause of death but is difficult to carry out routinely. Post mortem sampling (PMS) of tissues via thin biopsy needle or 'mini incisions' in the skin may be a useful alternative. A study was undertaken to assess how this approach is perceived by intensive care doctors and also to evaluate how this practice is considered in ethical terms in France. METHODS: A study of PMS practices immediately after death in 10 intensive care departments was performed. The medical director of each centre was interviewed by telephone and asked to describe practices in their unit and to outline the questions raised by this practice. RESULTS: PMS is routinely performed in 70% of the units which responded, without systematically obtaining formal consent and without precise rules for communicating results. Approaches to PMS differed between centres, but all physicians felt that PMS is useful for the scientific information it gives and also for the information it provides for relatives. All physicians regret the lack of standards to structure PMS practices. CONCLUSION: Information from post mortem examinations is important for society to inform about causes of death, for doctors to improve practices and for decision-makers responsible for organising care. Debate persists regarding the balance between individual rights and community interests. It is suggested that an approach for identifying cause of death could easily be integrated into the relationship between carers and relatives, provided full transparency is maintained.

Ethical issues arising from the requirement to sign a consent form in palliative care.

French healthcare networks aim to help healthcare workers to take care of patients by improving cooperation, coordination and the continuity of care. When applied to palliative care in the home, they facilitate overall care including medical, social and psychological aspects. French legislation in 2002 required that an information document explaining the functioning of the network should be given to patients when they enter a healthcare network. The law requires that this document be signed. Ethical issues arise from this legislation with regard to the validity of the signature of dying patients. Signature of the consent form by a guardian or trustee, a designated person--the Person of Trust--transforms the doctor-patient relationship into a triangular doctor-patient-third-party relationship.

Concerning mistreatment of older people: clinical and ethical thoughts based on a study of known cases.

Following a report by the Health Ministry recommending a greater implication of general practitioners (GP) in the diagnosis and care of mistreated older people, we wanted to evaluate what was actually their role in this matter. A study was made of files of mistreated older persons referred to the social services in a Parisian suburb. For each file, we noted who raised the first suspicions of mistreatment, who diagnosed it, what happened next, and what precisely the GP's role was. Out of 600 files, we found 12 cases, concerning 14 persons (two couples). Although all the patients had health problems requiring frequent consultations with their GP, none of these situations were diagnosed by the GP. In all cases, the GP played only a secondary role, if at all. The following points are discussed: The link between family problems and history cannot be ignored in the follow up of such situations. The GP's role is discussed regarding clinical knowledge of mistreatment and the legal rules they have to deal with. Our results bring to light how the balance between the person's autonomy and the necessary direct action is especially delicate in this field.

[Palliative care in delivery room for preterm infants less than 24 weeks of gestation. Analysis of two different behaviors]. / Place des soins palliatifs en salle de naissance dans la prise en charge des prématurés de moins de 24 semaines d'aménorrhée. Expérience de 2 maternités.

AIMS OF THE STUDY: To describe the management of extremely preterm newborns at the threshold of viability before 24 weeks of gestation in the delivery room when the decision has been made not to provide intensive care; to assess the role of palliative care (PC); to report the problems encountered. METHOD: A prospective qualitative study was conducted using semi-structured interviews from November 2009 to June 2010 in two level III French maternity hospitals (A and B). In each center, four midwives, two obstetricians, two pediatricians, two anesthetists, and one chief midwife were interviewed. RESULTS: In maternity hospital A, a protocol was in place that proposed PC derived from developmental care (noise limitation, drying, warming) provided by parents or staff. The problems reported were related to former euthanasia practices rather than new procedures. In maternity hospital B, no palliative care protocol had been set up. Euthanasia was practiced and accepted fatalistically because the only currently existing alternative (letting the infant die) was considered inhumane. Few problems were reported. The reluctance to carry out PC is conceptual and organizational (the ratio of births per midwife in maternity hospital B was twice that of maternity hospital A). Lexical analysis showed preferential use of the words "fetus" and "expulsion" versus "child" and "delivery" in maternity hospital B (p<0.05) when speaking of the delivery of the extremely preterm infant. Our explanatory hypothesis is that the concept of "fetus ex utero" legitimates euthanasia by assimilating it to feticide. CONCLUSION: At the time of this study, two very different approaches to the death of extremely preterm, non-resuscitated newborns in the delivery room coexisted in France. Palliative care is obviously possible, after group reflection, if a true motivation to change, a better understanding of the law, and a clear identification of the respective status of the fetus and the newborn exist in the maternity hospital.

Ethical issues arising from the requirement to provide written information in palliative care.

French Healthcare Networks aim to help healthcare workers take care of patients by improving co-operation, co-ordination and the continuity of care. When applied to palliative care in the home, they facilitate overall care, including medical, social and psychological aspects. French legislation in 2002 required that an information document explaining the functioning of the Network should be given to patients when they enter a Healthcare Network. Ethical problems arise from this legislation with regard to providing terminal patients with explicit information upon their entry into the palliative phase of the disease, and requiring them to sign the document. It highlights the limitations of this practice, and the gap between the legislation and the nature of the physician-patient relationship in palliative care.