The value of autopsy in current health care. An analysis of autopsies performed during one year at the Regionsykehuset in Trondheim

We have reviewed the reports from 222 autopsies performed during one year (1994) at our Department of Pathology. The majority (74%) of all autopsies were performed on patients from the Department of Internal medicine at our hospital. Autopsy findings were correlated with the clinically suspected causes of death, as revealed by the death certificates and the clinical information in the written requests for autopsies. The direct cause of death, as found at autopsy, had been suspected by the clinicians in 70% of cases. The underlying cause of death, as found by the pathologists at autopsy, had been diagnosed by the clinicians in 75% of the cases. In 26 cases (12%) the underlying cause of death had neither been diagnosed nor suspected by the clinicians. In the last mentioned group, 77% of the patients were more than 70 years of age. In six cases where the underlying cause of death had not been diagnosed or suspected by the clinicians, the findings at autopsy were classified as type-1 findings. These are findings, if they had been known when the patient was still alive would probably have led to therapy that night have improved the prognosis.