Department of Pathology, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Tokyo, Japan.
Department of Legal Medicine, Graduate School of Medicine, Chiba University, Chiba City, Japan.
Pathol Int. 2023 Mar;73(3):120-126. doi: 10.1111/pin.13306. Epub 2023 Jan 4.
During the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, autopsies have provided valuable insights into the pathogenesis of COVID-19. The precise effect of this pandemic on autopsy procedures in Japan, especially in instances unrelated to COVID-19, has not yet been established. Therefore, we conducted a questionnaire survey from December 2020 to January 2021 regarding the status of pathological autopsy practices in Japan during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. The questionnaire was sent to 678 medical facilities with pathologists, of which 227 responded. In cases where a confirmed diagnosis of COVID-19 was not made at the time of autopsy, many facilities counted them as suspected COVID-19 cases if pneumonia was suspected clinically. At around half of the sites, autopsies were prohibited for suspected COVID-19 cases. In addition, the number of autopsies of non-COVID-19 cases during the pandemic period was also investigated, and a significant decrease was observed compared with the incidence in the pre-pandemic period. The COVID-19 pandemic has affected not only the autopsies of COVID-19 cases but also the entire practice of pathological autopsies. It is necessary to establish a system that supports the implementation of pathological autopsy practices during the pandemic of an emerging infectious disease.
在 2019 冠状病毒病（COVID-19）大流行期间，尸检为了解 COVID-19 的发病机制提供了有价值的见解。COVID-19 大流行对日本尸检程序的具体影响，特别是与 COVID-19 无关的尸检程序，尚未确定。因此，我们于 2020 年 12 月至 2021 年 1 月期间，针对 COVID-19 大流行第一年日本病理尸检实践的现状，进行了一项问卷调查。问卷发送给了有病理学家的 678 家医疗机构，其中 227 家做出了回应。在尸检时未确诊 COVID-19 的情况下，如果临床上怀疑为肺炎，许多机构将其视为疑似 COVID-19 病例。大约一半的地点禁止对疑似 COVID-19 病例进行尸检。此外，还调查了 COVID-19 大流行期间非 COVID-19 病例的尸检数量，与大流行前同期相比，数量显著减少。COVID-19 大流行不仅影响了 COVID-19 病例的尸检，也影响了整个病理尸检实践。有必要建立一个系统，以支持在新发传染病大流行期间实施病理尸检实践。
