[Importance of the forensic autopsy in the diagnosis of septic shock: a case report]

Rev Esp Quimioter. 2017 Oct;30(5):368-371. Epub 2017 Aug 25.
[Article in Spanish]

Abstract

Septic shock sometimes starts with unspecific symptoms that hamper the clinical diagnosis and, therefore an appropriate treatment. When the septic shock follows a fulminating course with a fatal outcome, the etiological diagnosis has to be conducted post-mortem. Sudden unexpected deaths in children and young adults are frequently the object of medico-legal autopsies. Some sudden unexpected deaths have an infectious origin, which requires further analyses, including microbiology, to establish the cause of death. Here, the case of a fatal septic shock in a 19-month old male infant is presented. After a mild foot injury, an infection by Streptococcus pyogenes progressed to septic shock with a fatal outcome as post-mortem studies demonstrated.

Publication types

  • Case Reports

MeSH terms

  • Autopsy*
  • Fatal Outcome
  • Foot Injuries / pathology
  • Forensic Medicine*
  • Humans
  • Infant
  • Male
  • Shock, Septic / diagnosis*
  • Shock, Septic / microbiology
  • Shock, Septic / pathology
  • Streptococcal Infections / diagnosis
  • Streptococcal Infections / microbiology
  • Streptococcus pyogenes