Relevant necropsy rates and correction factors for estimating clinically missed diagnoses among non-necropsied deaths
| Target diagnosis and source of data for sensitivity of clinical diagnosis | Best estimate for relevant necropsy rate (range of values used to test analysis) | Source of estimate |
|---|---|---|
| Aortic dissection (University of Pittsburgh)40 | 19% (14–24%) | Study37 from same institution in midpoint of aortic dissection study period; ±5% used as potential range to test analysis |
| Aortic dissection (Henry Ford Hospital, Detroit)41 | 14% (10–18%) | Best estimate and boundaries of range for sensitivity analysis correspond to necropsy rates from mid point, beginning, and end of study period, based on personal communication with study’s first author41 and data presented in another study45 from same institution |
| Pulmonary embolism (seven countries in Europe and North America)42 | 15% (8–19%) | Median necropsy rates for 410 institutions in the US and Canada44 during a comparable time period; lower bound corresponds to non-teaching hospitals and upper bound to hospitals with pathology training programs |
| Active tuberculosis (all hospitals reporting to San Francisco Department of Health)43 | 7% (3–17%) | Best estimate and lower bound based on national23 and state24 level data; upper bound corresponds to necropsy rate at hospital providing majority of cases |