What are some natural causes of death?

Death is said to be natural when it results from a pathological or physiological condition. Known or unknown. Death is natural only if violent death can be ruled out. The latter concerns both physical violence and acute intoxication.

In a forensic context, most natural deaths are cardiac in origin. They are intimately linked to sudden death:

• Atherosclerosis of the coronary arteries
• Cardiomyopathies
• Myocarditis etc.

Apart from cardiac causes, death can occur by :

• Ruptured aneurysm
• Pulmonary embolism
• Stroke
• Pneumopathy
• Digestive haemorrhage
• Metabolic disorder of diabetes
• Cancers

Defining Death Causes

In some cases, death can occur unexpectedly and there is no explanation for it when the body is examined. The role of the medical examiner in such cases is very complicated. He or she must establish whether death was natural or not . To answer this question with certainty, he must determine the exact cause of death.

In the majority of states, there are five kinds of death:

1. Natural death: Occurs as a result of the aging process or a disease.
2. Homicide: A person is killed by one or more people.
3. Accident: The fatal outcome was unintentional. There is no evidence that the injuries occurred with malicious intent.
4. Suicide: A person intentionally takes his or her own life.
5. Undetermined: Information indicating a manner of death is no more convincing.

The Unexplained Death

Despite the systematization and respect of a rigorous protocol during autopsies, some sudden deaths still remain unexplained. When the cause of death could not be determined during the forensic examination, the autopsy is referred to as blank. It is assumed that these sudden deaths are the result of reflex phenomena. It can also be caused by sudden and irreversible heart rhythm disturbances. These medical phenomena leave no detectable anatomical traces. Even by the methods currently available in forensic medicine.

The sudden death

Death is considered sudden when it occurs unexpectedly and affects an apparently healthy individual and is of natural origin.

The main cause of sudden death is heart disease. Cardiac arrest now causes nearly tens of thousands of premature deaths each year. In the case of sudden death, there are two different scenarios:

• People over 35 years of age whose cardiac death is most often the result of atherosclerosis of the coronary arteries.
• People under 35 years of age whose cardiac death is most often the result of genetic cardiomyopathy.

Need assistance? You can count on Crime Scene Intervention

Following the death of a person, it is important to clean up and sanitize the site to remove any hazardous materials. Any type of death can leave bodily fluids that can be very dangerous to people’s health. This is particularly common for unassisted deaths. These may need bioremediation services.

At Crime Scene Intervention, we believe that the process of cleansing and restoration after a traumatic event should not be imposed on anyone. For this reason, the mission of our services is to ease the burden on the client.

We are the industry leader in biohazard remediation. We strive to provide compassionate, client-centered care. For more information, contact Crime Scene Intervention today.