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- Title
Letter to the editor regarding the article "Heart weight must not be measured before dissection during autopsies".
- Authors
Cazzato, Francesca; Grassi, Simone; Brugada, Ramon; Oliva, Antonio
- Abstract
A letter to the editor of the International Journal of Legal Medicine discusses the need for a standardized approach to measuring heart weight during autopsies. The letter references a study that found variations in heart weight depending on the dissection method used. The authors argue that methodological heterogeneity in heart weight recording can introduce biases and inaccuracies in forensic assessments. They propose a reproducible protocol for heart weighing and the establishment of updated reference ranges for normal heart weight. The authors recommend the use of the short-axis method for dissection and the opening of coronary arteries in all cases. They also suggest noting age, gender, body weight, and height in each case and providing rigorous training for autopsy staff. The findings support the need for a standardized approach to improve accuracy and ensure reliable comparisons in sudden cardiac death investigations. The authors plan to create new tables of normal heart weight by gender and establish national and international collaborations for systematic data collection.
- Subjects
AUTOPSY; HEART; DISSECTION
- Publication
International Journal of Legal Medicine, 2024, Vol 138, Issue 4, p1663
- ISSN
0937-9827
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1007/s00414-024-03189-0