• According to the definition of the World Health Organization, deaths occurring within 24 hours of the onset of symptoms.
• There are various definitions of sudden unexpected death:
Sudden death: It is the sudden death of a person whose existing disease is unknown to him and his environment.
Unexpected death: It is the death of a seemingly healthy person suddenly getting sick without being diagnosed.
Suspicious death: It is the death of a person who does not have a known disease or who is not in a condition to cause a fatal complication of this disease.
• Factors in sudden unexpected deaths may be:
An acute and serious complication of a systemic disease
Acute or late complication of a previous trauma
Acute or late complication of a forgotten or neglected trauma
Intoxications
• Findings to be encountered as a result of autopsy in sudden unexpected deaths can be divided into 3 main groups:
1- Deaths caused by natural causes:
Lesions that do not allow the continuation of life can be detected (such as aortic aneurysm rupture)
Severe lesions that can cause death but allow life to continue (such as coronary artery diseases)
2- Deaths caused by unnatural causes:
Lesions formed as a result of severe injuries that will inevitably end life (such as large subdural hematoma and associated tonsillar herniation)
Lesions that can result in death, but not necessarily death (such as medulla spinalis cuts)
3- Deaths due to undetermined causes:
Conditions without a remarkable autopsy finding in the organs macroscopically
Cases with nonspecific organ findings at autopsy
• Sudden unexpected deaths are mostly caused by cardiovascular system diseases, second most frequently by central nervous system diseases.
