Putrefaction in the pandemic: a comparative study of the frequency of advanced decomposition change in coronial autopsies since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic

Aims The aim of this study is to evaluate whether there has been a significant change in the frequency of markedly decomposed bodies having coronial autopsies since the UK’s first COVID-19 lockdown. Methods We compared coronial autopsies (n=263) performed by one pathologist at a central London mortuary in the 1 year before and after 23 March 2020 by analysing their autopsy reports and coronial documentation. Results We have shown that there has...