Decreasing use of autopsy for stillbirths and infant deaths: missed opportunity

Objectivewe assessed whether the tendency towards decreasing use of fetal and infant autopsy was associated with a greater proportion of deaths in which the cause is never found.study designwe computed autopsy rates over time for 13,466 stillbirths and 16,880 infant deaths in quebec, canada, 1981–2015. we assessed the proportion of deaths with an undetermined cause and determined the relationship with non-autopsy over time.resultautopsy rates declined by 29% for stillbirths and 36% for infant deaths during the study. the proportion of non-autopsied cases with an undetermined cause of death increased only for stillbirths, however. among non-autopsied stillbirths, the risk of having an undetermined cause of death was 1.64 times higher in 2005–2015 compared with 1981–1992 (95% confidence interval 1.25, 2.15).conclusiongreater use of autopsy has potential to minimize the number of stillbirths with an undetermined cause of death, and may be helpful for prevention.