Maximizing the effectiveness of the autopsy in cases of sudden death.

Autopsies are essential in the investigation of sudden unexpected deaths. To maximize the effectiveness of the autopsy in these cases, the pathologist must assess the circumstances leading to the person's death, should be knowledgeable of the diseases most often responsible for sudden death, and should use dissection techniques most appropriate for their disclosure. In adults, the great majority of sudden deaths are cardiogenic and related to diseases of the coronary arteries, cardiac valves, or myocardium. In infants and young children, however, extracardiac diseases are prevalent in the causation of sudden deaths. Approximately one third of these are inexplicable (sudden infant death syndrome).