Pulmonary and cardiac pathology in African American patients with COVID-19: an autopsy series from New Orleans
Sharon E Fox, MD
Aibek Akmatbekov, MD
Jack L Harbert, MD
Guang Li, MS
J Quincy Brown, PhD
Prof Richard S Vander Heide, MD
Published:May 27, 2020DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/S2213-2600(20)30243-5
Summary
Background
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) spread rapidly across the USA, causing extensive morbidity and mortality, particularly in the African American community. Autopsy can considerably contribute to our understanding of many disease processes and could provide crucial information to guide management of patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). We report on the relevant cardiopulmonary findings in, to our knowledge, the first autopsy series of ten African American decedents, with the cause of death attributed to COVID-19.
Methods
Autopsies were performed on ten African American decedents aged 44–78 years with cause of death attributed to COVID-19, reflective of the dominant demographic of deaths following COVID-19 diagnosis in New Orleans. Autopsies were done with consent of the decedents' next of kin. Pulmonary and cardiac features were examined, with relevant immunostains to characterise the inflammatory response, and RNA labelling and electron microscopy on representative sections.
