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01-06-2020 | Autopsy | Commentary

The autopsy debate during the COVID-19 emergency: the Italian experience

Authors: Anna Sapino, Fabio Facchetti, Emanuela Bonoldi, Andrea Gianatti, Mattia Barbareschi, on behalf of Società Italiana di Anatomia Patologica e Citologia - SIAPEC

Published in: Virchows Archiv | Issue 6/2020

Excerpt

February 20, 2020: the first Italian patient affected by COVID-19 is registered in Lombardy, a region in northern Italy. April 5, 2020: the Italian official health agency reports 128,948 persons positive for SARS-CoV-2 and 15,887 deaths due to COVID-19. Such severe epidemic critically impacted on the organization of the Italian National Health System. The pathology community was not excluded, and we had to face exceptional biosafety measures in both surgical pathology and post-mortem examinations. …

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Infezione respiratoria da COVID-19 DOCUMENTO SU AUTOPSIA E RISCONTRO DIAGNOSTICO”prodotto da COMLAS e SIAPEC-IAP. https://www.siapec.it/public/uploads/archiviodocumenti/PRD%20COVID-19-9%20rev001%20010420.pdf. Accessed 8 April 2020

Fineschi V et al (2020) Management of the corpse with suspect, probable or confirmed COVID-19 respiratory infection – Italian interim recommendations for personnel potentially exposed to material from corpses, including body fluids, in morgue structures and during autopsy practice. Pathologica. https://doi.org/10.32074/1591-951X-13-20

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Indicazioni emergenziali connesse ad epidemia COVID-19 riguardanti il settore funebre, cimiteriale e di cremazione. Ministero della Salute-Direzione Generale Della Prevenzione Sanitaria. Ufficio 4 - 0011285-01/04/2020-DGPRE-DGPRE-P. http://www.trovanorme.salute.gov.it/norme/renderNormsanPdf?anno=2020&codLeg=73789&parte=1%20&serie=null. Accessed 8 April 2020

WHO (2020) Infection prevention and control for the safe management of a dead body in the context of COVID-19 (2020). https://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/331538/WHO-COVID-19-lPC_DBMgmt-2020.1-eng.pdf. Accessed 8 April 2020

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The Royal College of Pathologists. Autopsy practice relating to possible cases of COVID-19 (2019-nCov, novel coronavirus from China 2019/2020). https://www.rcpath.org/uploads/assets/d5e28baf-5789-4b0f-acecfe370eee6223/fe8fa85a-f004-4a0c-81ee4b2b9cd12cbf/Briefing-on-COVID-19-autopsy-Feb-2020.pdf. Accessed 8 April 2020

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Firth J (2020) Covid-19 current advice for pathologists. Pathologica. https://doi.org/10.32074/1591-951X-12-20

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Barbareschi M, Facchetti F, Fraggetta F, Sapino A (2020) What are the priorities of pathologists’ activities during COVID-19 emergency? Pathologica. https://doi.org/10.32074/1591-951X-15-20

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Barbareschi M et al (2020) Biosafety in surgical pathology in the era of SARS-Cov2 pandemia. A statement of the Italian Society of Surgical Pathology and Cytology. Pathologica. https://doi.org/10.32074/1591-951X-14-20

Title: The autopsy debate during the COVID-19 emergency: the Italian experience
Authors: Anna Sapino
Fabio Facchetti
Emanuela Bonoldi
Andrea Gianatti
Mattia Barbareschi
on behalf of Società Italiana di Anatomia Patologica e Citologia - SIAPEC
Publication date: 01-06-2020
Publisher: Springer Berlin Heidelberg
Keywords: Autopsy
SARS-CoV-2
COVID-19
Published in: Virchows Archiv / Issue 6/2020
Print ISSN: 0945-6317
Electronic ISSN: 1432-2307
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00428-020-02828-2

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