# Forensic Pathology and Legal Issues in COVID-19: Case Report and Literature Review

## TL;DR

This paper discusses the forensic and legal challenges of a COVID-19-related death in a trauma patient, emphasizing the importance of autopsies and infection control in hospitals.

## Contribution

The paper presents a case report and literature review on the forensic and legal aspects of nosocomial COVID-19 deaths.

## Key findings

- Patients with traumatic injuries and nosocomial COVID-19 face higher mortality risks.
- Forensic pathologists play a critical role in determining the cause and manner of death in such cases.
- Regular testing during hospital stays can reduce the spread of hospital-acquired COVID-19.

## Abstract

Autopsy investigations of deaths following nosocomial coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection have enormous medical and social significance, as autopsies are essential for the correct statistical recording of COVID-19 deaths, presenting new lessons, which is important to policymakers and in the improvement of public health in general.

Our study is based on the presentation of a case of a road traffic accident involving an elderly 73-year-old female with a complication of nosocomial COVID-19 infection and death leading to forensic pathological investigation. This involved autopsy, histopathological examinations, and other tests, and highlighting the importance of medicolegal matters, including the legal and ethical practicalities encountered in healthcare.

This article highlights the fact that patients who have sustained various traumatic injuries accompanied by nosocomial COVID-19 infection have higher risks of morbidity and mortality. The significance of the role of a Forensic Pathologist in dealing with the analysis of injuries and the performance of autopsies to determine the cause, mechanism, and manner of death. In addition, the important lesson of testing patients for COVID-19 more regularly during a long hospital admission period, to offer early treatment and isolation, including avoiding the further spread of the COVID-19 infection variants to patients and healthcare professionals, thereby minimising and preventing hospital-acquired infection and death is stressed.