Unraveling Specific Causes of Neonatal Mortality Using Minimally Invasive Tissue Sampling: An Observational Study.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Postmortem minimally invasive tissue sampling (MITS) is a potential alternative to the gold standard complete diagnostic autopsy for identifying specific causes of childhood deaths. We investigated the utility of MITS, interpreted with available clinical data, for attributing underlying and immediate causes of neonatal deaths.

Methods

This prospective, observational pilot study enrolled neonatal deaths at Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital in Soweto, South Africa. The MITS included needle core-biopsy sampling for histopathology of brain, lung, and liver tissue. Microbiological culture and/or molecular tests were performed on lung, liver, blood, cerebrospinal fluid, and stool samples. The "underlying" and "immediate" causes of death (CoD) were determined for

SUBMITTER: Madhi SA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6785687 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature