ArticlePloS one2015
Pathological Methods Applied to the Investigation of Causes of Death in Developing Countries: Minimally Invasive Autopsy Approach.
Article in PloS one, 2015. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT03438110 (Project to Understand & Research Preterm Pregnancy Outcomes-South Asia), which is not on this map. Cited by 81 papers, 5 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Project to Understand & Research Preterm Pregnancy Outcomes-South Asia (PURPOSe)
Who cites it
81 citing papers in PubMed, 5 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 125 citations in OpenAlex.
- Validation of malaria-attributed deaths using verbal autopsy studies: a systematic review.Malaria journal · 2024Pooled it
- Prospective postmortem evaluation of 735 consecutive SARS-CoV-2-associated death cases.Scientific reports · 2021Pooled it
- Microbiology in minimally invasive autopsy: best techniques to detect infection. ESGFOR (ESCMID study group of forensic and post-mortem microbiology) guidelines.Forensic science, medicine, and pathology · 2021Guideline
- Interventions for investigating and identifying the causes of stillbirth.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2018Pooled it
- A systematic review and synthesis of the strengths and limitations of measuring malaria mortality through verbal autopsy.Malaria journal · 2017Pooled it
- Assessing the effectiveness of embalming in cadavers with COVID-19 after full autopsy and minimally invasive autopsy.Forensic science, medicine, and pathology · 2026Article
- Tissue distribution of Histoplasma capsulatum in deceased people living with HIV assessed by minimally invasive tissue sampling: An autopsy-based case series in the Brazilian Amazon.PLoS neglected tropical diseases · 2026Observational
- Minimally Invasive Tissue Sampling for Postmortem Diagnosis of Tuberculous Meningitis in Zambian Adults.Open forum infectious diseases · 2026Article
- Standardization of minimally invasive tissue sampling (MITS) technique for intestinal sampling in neonatal autopsies.Forensic science, medicine, and pathology · 2026Article
- Introducing Minimally Invasive Tissue Sampling to Ascertain Cause of Death in Children and Stillbirths in Central Mozambique.The American journal of tropical medicine and hygiene · 2026Article
- Bone marrow cytology as an adjunct tool for post-mortem interval estimation.Frontiers in medicine · 2026Article
- The acceptability of minimally invasive tissue sampling for cause of death determination in rural South Africa: A qualitative analysis.PloS one · 2026Article
- Accelerating Proficiency in Minimally Invasive Autopsy for Infectious Disease Diagnosis and Research: A Strategic Framework.Revista da Sociedade Brasileira de Medicina Tropical · 2026Observational
- Diagnostic accuracy of a simplified minimally invasive tissue sampling protocol for stillbirths in low-resource settings.BMJ global health · 2025Article
- The contribution of minimally invasive tissue sampling compared to antemortem-derived cause of death determination among inpatient child deaths: the minimally invasive tissue sampling in Malawi study.Journal of global health · 2025Article
- Acceptability of minimal invasive tissue sampling (MITS) for stillbirths in Eastern Uganda.PloS one · 2025Article
- Hepatic mitochondrial and peroxisomal alterations in acutely ill malnourished Malawian children: A postmortem cohort study.Global pediatrics · 2024Article
- Concordance between MITS and conventional autopsies for pathological and virological diagnoses.International journal of legal medicine · 2024Article
- Usefulness of minimally invasive autopsy in the diagnosis of arboviruses to increase the sensitivity of the Epidemiological Surveillance System in Ceará, Brazil.Epidemiologia e servicos de saude : revista do Sistema Unico de Saude do Brasil · 2024Article
- [Interdisciplinary ultrasound-guided, minimally invasive autopsy in COVID-19-deceased patients in the intensive care unit of a university hospital : A proof-of-concept study].Pathologie (Heidelberg, Germany) · 2023Review
21 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
15 authors at 5 institutions in 3 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND
aimsComplete diagnostic autopsies (CDA) remain the gold standard in the determination of cause of death (CoD). However, performing CDAs in developing countries is challenging due to limited facilities and human resources, and poor acceptability. We aimed to develop and test a simplified minimally invasive autopsy (MIA) procedure involving organ-directed sampling with microbiology and pathology analyses implementable by trained technicians in low- income settings.
methodsA standardized scheme for the MIA has been developed and tested in a series of 30 autopsies performed at the Maputo Central Hospital, Mozambique. The procedure involves the collection of 20 mL of blood and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and puncture of liver, lungs, heart, spleen, kidneys, bone marrow and brain in all cases plus uterus in women of childbearing age, using biopsy needles.
resultsThe sampling success ranged from 67% for the kidney to 100% for blood, CSF, lung, liver and brain. The amount of tissue obtained in the procedure varied from less than 10 mm2 for the lung, spleen and kidney, to over 35 mm2 for the liver and brain. A CoD was identified in the histological and/or the microbiological analysis in 83% of the MIAs.
conclusionsA simplified MIA technique allows obtaining adequate material from body fluids and major organs leading to accurate diagnoses. This procedure could improve the determination of CoD in developing countries.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.