Table 4.
Autopsy studies
| Study (country) | Study period | N | Study population | Setting | Study description | Thromboprophylaxis |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Benzakoun et al. (2020) (France) 39 | March–April 2020 | 64 | Deceased patients with suspected COVID‐19 (clinical context and lung CT) | Institute of Forensic Medicine of Paris | Unenhanced post‐mortem CT analysis | NR |
| Borczuk et al. (2020) (USA/Italy) 40 | March–April 2020 | 68 | Consecutive deceased patients PCR‐positive for COVID‐19 | Two hospitals in New York and one in Padua | Analysis of lung tissue from autopsies | 48 of 68 patients received anticoagulation |
| Bryce et al. (2021) (USA) 41 | March–June 2020 | 100a | Consecutive deceased patients PCR‐positive for COVID‐19 | Mount Sinai Hospital (New York) | Autopsy, multiple organ systems | 82 of 100 patients received anticoagulation |
| Carsana et al. (2020) (Italy) 42 | February–March 2020 | 38 | Consecutive deceased patients PCR‐positive for COVID‐19 | Two hospitals in Milan and Bergamo | Autopsy, lungs only | NR |
| Edler et al. (2020) (Germany) 43 | March–April 2020 | 80 | Consecutive deceased patients PCR‐positive for COVID‐19 | University Medical Center Hamburg‐Eppendorf | Autopsy, multiple organ systems; focus on lungs | NR |
| Mauad et al. (2021) (Brazil) 44 | March–June 2020 | 41 | Deceased patients PCR‐positive for COVID‐19 | University of Sao Paulo Medical School | Ultrasound‐guided minimally invasive autopsy, lungs only | 33 of 37 patients received anticoagulation in ICU (NR for four patients) |
| Menter et al. (2020) (Switzerland) 45 | To April 2020 | 21 | Deceased patients PCR‐positive for COVID‐19 | Two hospitals in Basel canton | Autopsy, multiple organ systems | 11 of 21 patients received anticoagulation |
| Prieto‐Pérez et al. (2020) (Spain) 46 | March–April 2020 | 20b | Deceased patients PCR‐positive for COVID‐19 | University hospital Fundación Jiménez Díaz (Madrid) | Autopsy, lungs and bone marrow | NR |
| Skok et al. (2021) (Austria) 47 | March–June 2020 | 28 | Deceased patients PCR‐positive for COVID‐19 (35% of deceased COVID‐19 cases in study period) | Hospital Graz II (Graz) | Autopsy, multiple organ systems; focus on lungs | NR |
Abbreviations: CT, computed tomography; NR, not reported; PCR, polymerase chain reaction; PE, pulmonary embolism; TE, thromboembolism.
a
Autopsy results for 25 patients were previously reported in Borczuk et al. (2020).
b
20 lung samples were evaluated from 33 patients.