SUDDEN UNEXPECTED CARDIAC DEATH IN THE EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT: NAVIGATING THE MEDICO-LEGAL DILEMMA OF DEATH CERTIFICATION AND AUTOPSY WAIVER UNDER THE BHARATIYA NAGARIK SURAKSHA SANHITA, 2023
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Peerless Hospitex Hospital and Research Centre Limited, Kolkata, India.
- PG Resident, Department of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Bhopal, India.
- Abstract
- How to Cite This Article
- Corresponding Author
Sudden cardiac death (SCD) presenting to an emergency department without prior medical history creates profound legal and ethical dilemmas for physicians in India. We report the case of a 62-year-old male who suffered a terminal collapse due to acute coronary syndrome/ventricular fibrillation within an hour of symptom onset. Despite robust resuscitative measures, the patient could not be revived. Due to the lack of baseline medical records, the treating emergency physician appropriately invoked statutory provisions under Section 194 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023, shifting the authority for determining the necessity of an autopsy to the states legal apparatus. This report details the medical management, the statutory obligations governing modern Indian clinical practice, and the ethical parameters involved.
Indraneel Dasgupta et, al (2026); SUDDEN UNEXPECTED CARDIAC DEATH IN THE EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT: NAVIGATING THE MEDICO-LEGAL DILEMMA OF DEATH CERTIFICATION AND AUTOPSY WAIVER UNDER THE BHARATIYA NAGARIK SURAKSHA SANHITA, 2023, Int. J. of Adv. Res., 14 (05), 1499-1501, ISSN 2320-5407. DOI URL: https://dx.doi.org/10.21474/IJAR01/23553
Clinical Director, Department of Emergency Medicine, Peerless Hospital and Research Centre Limited, Kolkata, India.
India
