Abstract
Lethal pulmonary hemoptysis is a common finding in forensic medicine. Since hemoptysis does not necessarily occur before death and its previous symptoms are usually unspecific, indicative signs or findings at the site of a corpse may be completely absent. If lethal acute alveolar hemorrhage is found in the post-mortem examination, a differential diagnosis should be made for traumatic, substance-related, infectious, or organic causes. Cocaine-associated pulmonary hemorrhage and drug reactions are in the foreground. For organic causes, autoimmune diseases should be considered in addition to cardiac, haematological, and infectious causes. The following two cases show similarities both in the sudden, unexpected deaths and the anamnesis of the two deceased women. One of the deceased received a Corona vaccination a few months earlier. In each case, the post-mortem examination revealed an acute diffuse pulmonary hemorrhage caused by acute inflammation of the lung capillaries. This case presentation demonstrates the necessity of a complete autopsy including toxicological and histological analyses. The documentation and publication of rare causes of death are essential for medical research and practice in order to critically consider and discuss the possibility of to date unknown associations in similar cases.
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This study was funded by the Institute of Legal Medicine, Cantonal Hospital St. Gallen, Switzerland.
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Suess, C., Schwartz, M. & Hausmann, R. Pulmonary capillaritis as a cause of lethal diffuse alveolar hemorrhage. Int J Legal Med 137, 1481–1487 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00414-023-03056-4
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00414-023-03056-4