When filling out a death certificate the cause of death is the last proximate cause that if removed from the equation the person would still be alive. When someone is shot, it’s the bullet that kills them. Take the bullet out of the equation the person is alive. The bullet fired by a GUN!!!! 1/
There may contributing factors, like combat, cop shootings criminal, criminal shooting police officer. This is where we get into motives and mental health. CONTRIBUTING FACTORS not CAUSES. Root cause analysis would conclude eliminate the gun and address contributing factors. 2/
Now I’ll do the same for a heart attack. Cause of death is cardiac arrest caused by myocardial infarction due to coronary artery disease. To keep that person alive you eliminate the blockage by having a stent placed or a bypass. Then you address the hyperlipidemia and hypertension and diabetes.3/
That seems like falsifying a legal document. There must be a secondary and/or contributing diagnoses. Family members deserve correct information (medical history of their loved ones). A person who's health declines because of cancer but dies because of cardiac arrest should be reflected as such.
Right. The proximate cause would be cardiac arrest from myocardial infraction.The cancer would be 3rd or 4th line as concomitant disease or contributing factor.Anything listed on the death certificate is counted for those diseases. Your example counts toward cancer deaths and heart attacks.
A dear friend passed from cancer but because their heart stopped, the diagnosis of cardiac arrest was the only listed COD. That made me very upset. The family health history was incomplete according to the death certificate. How do MEs get away with incomplete CODs?
Anyone who dies while having cancer it should absolutely be listed as a cause , even if seen as contributing cause.
Depends on who fills it out. In an emergency room or hospital not familiar with patient they’re going to list what immediately ended a person’s life. Without medical records or documentation of prior illness it can’t be considered.
With cancer patients in the ER, next of kin or patient advocate is there to speak with the attending docs/hospitalists & medical team. Something gets lost in the communication. Too much in a hurry? One needs to take a nurse aside and specify that proper details get to the ME. If not amend the COD.