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Originally Posted by thisisit

Thanks again DrBill, I'll try to be as nice as I can. My exhusband told me last night that the coroner in Lubbock TX was sent to prison for not doing his job right.

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The Inspector General for Texas reviewed the forensic laboratories across the state and in 2009 issued a public report calling them the "the last vestiges of junk science." Dr. Charles Harlan, Medical Examiner in Tennessee was removed from office for incompetence. Amongs his acts was to allow his dog in the autopsy room while working. The pup consumed a man's liver. Oklahoma, Alabama, Florida, Illinois, New York and Georgia (just from my most recent sheet) all have or recently have had investigations of Coroners and/or Medical Examiners offices. Above I noted this is a "pervasive" problem, and indeed it is.

Not only are these governmental offices, they are staffed by medical professionals, forensic pathologists, toxicologists who are likewise responsible to licensing boards and professional organizations. They are operating under and defiling the banner of science. I find that abhorrent.

Chief Medical Examiner for Oklahoma
Chief Medical Examiner, El Paso re: Ohio
Medical Examiner, Florida/Pennsylvania 2009
State Medical Examiner, Mississippi
Good review of ME misconduct, various states

That's terrible. We should be able to trust our Medical Examiners and Coroners. They are the last doctor who will ever see the person, and can provide facts and explanations to grieving family members; and important clues if a crime was committed. If for no other reason, compassion should compel them to do a complete and thorough job.

By the way "Sudden Unexplained Death Syndrome" is a new one for me. Is that in writing anywhere?

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Originally Posted by DrBill100

By the way "Sudden Unexplained Death Syndrome" is a new one for me. Is that in writing anywhere?

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This is what I was told on the phone at the time his body was released. That is when I was also told the autopsy report would not be ready for weeks because to be final, they had to wait for toxicology. I was also assured at that time that they did not expect anything significant on the toxicology testing. That caused me to believe a complete autopsy was done, leading the coroner to believe that "Sudden Unexplained Death Syndrome" was a conclusion from the PME.

Didn't you say your son had epilepsy? Did he take any medication for it?

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For reasons that are poorly understood, people with epilepsy have an increased risk of dying suddenly for no discernible reason. This condition, called sudden unexplained death, can occur in people without epilepsy, but epilepsy increases the risk about twofold.

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Originally Posted by J_9

Didn't you say your son had epilepsy? Did he take any medication for it?

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He had a seizure disorder, I called it epilepsy. We thought related to his brain tumor, my son refused to believe his seizures were caused by epilepsy. Yes he took Tegretol/carbamazepine. On October 10th last year he almost died from a seizure. He was in a coma for 3 days. That's when I started getting really worried that he was going to die from his tumor and seizures.

You may want to read up on this.

Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy: eMedicine Neurology

It's the "syndrome" that's throwing me. I can understand sudden unexpected death as descriptive but not as a cause or as a set of similarities as inferred by syndrome. Help me out here.

I see that SUDEP does have standardized criteria for the syndrome

It is kind of a hard diagnosis to swallow without the benefit of an autopsy to rule out other causes.

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Originally Posted by thisisit

It is kind of a hard diagnosis to swallow without the benefit of an autopsy to rule out other causes.

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One of the criteria for SUDEP is that all other causes must be ruled out at autopsy. (see J_9 link)

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Originally Posted by DrBill100

It's the "syndrome" that's throwing me. I can understand sudden unexpected death as descriptive but not as a cause or as a set of similarities as inferred by syndrome. Help me out here.

I see that SUDEP does have standardized criteria for the syndrome

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It's a rather new term I do believe.

Since a syndrome is the association of several clinically recognized signs/symptoms, I am believing that this is due to the diagnosis (Oh, how I wish I could type in medical terms :p) of epilepsy/seizure disorder in conjunction with the medication(s) and possibly the tumor.

I'm not finding very many updated scholarly papers on the subject, but to tell the truth, I haven't had much time to actually do the research.

I have no advice, I just wish to tell you I'm sorry for your loss and I hope that you find some peace somehow.

I also want to add that the people on this site are wonderful. If you need to talk about your loss, need help, need to vent, or just need a shoulder, we're here.

My thoughts are with you and I'm so very sorry for all the hardships you've had.

I overlooked something. How did the coroner's office find out about the seizures and brain tumor?

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Originally Posted by DrBill100

I overlooked something. How did the coroner's office find out about the seizures and brain tumor?

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Don't they frequently order medical records?

The death occurred at home. Someone would have to advised them of at least the doctor's name.

I don't know who told them, possibly the police did. We showed the police his pill bottle and I don't know if the person from the coroner's office took his pill bottle or what. The name of his Neurologist was on his pill bottle. I was surprised that no one from the coroner's office called to ask me or his girlfriend any questions.

They should have contacted one or both. Perhaps the police took a statement from her. She was the last to see him alive.

Information gathered at the scene should have been provided to the coroner's office. Since they were on scene it may be that it was transmitted orally but then they (the coroner) should have made a report.

The pill bottle might answer the question but it would seem the neurologist will have contacted next of kin on receiving a third party request for patient information.

You may need to clarify these issues with his girlfriend.

I will do that, however I'm quite sure she has talked to no one from the coroner's office. I don't know what information she gave to the police before I got there.

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Originally Posted by thisisit

I will do that, however I'm quite sure she has talked to no one from the coroner's office. I don't know what information she gave to the police before I got there.

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Thanks. As Judy noted earlier this is a legal thread, I've wandered far from camp, it's getting dark, and I fear a band of marauding lawyers might try and attack. Looking to capture a medicine man for their tribe. So I'm knocking off for the evening.

In the next day or two I will put together a list of items you need to obtain and or contact. If you think of anything that might shed additional light please let me know.

You will need to know the information she gave to the police.

To keep others up to speed, here is thisisit's original link when her son died: https://www.askmehelpdesk.com/bereav...ed-449616.html

I'd be angry too. My condolences again. This time empathy too.

In my case we should have had an autopsy, but didn't realize it until we contacted a lawyer and also read the hospital's reports. One doc failed to tell us that his resident senior punctured my father's lung. My mam and I got some closure after meeting with the administrators and others of two hospitals in the same health care system. Although the same hospital made the same mistake 10 years later when they gave mom food prior to a test. The hospital mow has Magnum? Nursing status.