Academic Journal
Preventing vasovagal reactions during forensic autopsies: an analysis of risk factors and educational strategies for police officers.
| Τίτλος: | Preventing vasovagal reactions during forensic autopsies: an analysis of risk factors and educational strategies for police officers. |
|---|---|
| Συγγραφείς: | Nakamura M; Department of Legal Medicine, Shiga University of Medical Science, Tsukinowa, Seta, Otsu, Shiga 520-2192, Japan. Electronic address: mamin@belle.shiga-med.ac.jp., Takaso M; Department of Legal Medicine, Shiga University of Medical Science, Tsukinowa, Seta, Otsu, Shiga 520-2192, Japan. Electronic address: marint@belle.shiga-med.ac.jp., Tojo M; Department of Legal Medicine, Shiga University of Medical Science, Tsukinowa, Seta, Otsu, Shiga 520-2192, Japan. Electronic address: tojo@belle.shiga-med.ac.jp., Uno A; Department of Legal Medicine, Shiga University of Medical Science, Tsukinowa, Seta, Otsu, Shiga 520-2192, Japan. Electronic address: akari42t@belle.shiga-med.ac.jp., Hitosugi M; Department of Legal Medicine, Shiga University of Medical Science, Tsukinowa, Seta, Otsu, Shiga 520-2192, Japan. Electronic address: hitosugi@belle.shiga-med.ac.jp. |
| Πηγή: | Legal medicine (Tokyo, Japan) [Leg Med (Tokyo)] 2026 Jul; Vol. 84, pp. 102898. Date of Electronic Publication: 2026 Jun 25. |
| Τύπος έκδοσης: | Journal Article |
| Γλώσσα: | English |
| Στοιχεία περιοδικού: | Publisher: Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd Country of Publication: Ireland NLM ID: 100889186 Publication Model: Print-Electronic Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1873-4162 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 13446223 NLM ISO Abbreviation: Leg Med (Tokyo) Subsets: MEDLINE |
| Imprint Name(s): | Publication: <2003->: East Park, Co. Clare, Ireland : Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd. Original Publication: Tokyo : Japanese Society of Legal Medicine, c1999- |
| Ιατρικοί όροι (MeSH): | Police*/education , Syncope, Vasovagal*/prevention & control , Syncope, Vasovagal*/epidemiology , Syncope, Vasovagal*/etiology, Japan/epidemiology ; Humans ; Male ; Female ; Risk Factors ; Adult ; Autopsy ; Middle Aged ; Incidence ; Working Conditions ; Forensic Pathology |
| Περίληψη: | Police officers attending forensic autopsies may experience physical distress, often triggered by the vasovagal reflex. This study investigated the incidence and risk factors to establish effective preventive strategies. We surveyed demographic and personal factors of attendees in Shiga Prefecture, Japan. Environmental factors (weather data and autopsy room temperature/humidity records) and case factors (decomposition and injury severity) were also evaluated. The overall incidence of physical distress was 1.5% (20/1361 participants), which was lower than previously reported in medical students. Although the incidence was higher in female officers (12.5%) than in male officers (2.0%), logistic regression analysis showed that only shorter employment duration and limited attendance experience were independent risk factors; gender was not significant. The incidence was highest among officers in their second to fifth years and first-time attendee. Regarding case factors, severe injury was associated with higher distress rates, whereas the degree of decomposition had no significant effect. The incidence also increased during the summer months, in parallel with higher environmental temperatures. Overall, lack of experience appears to be the primary risk factor, whereas the observed gender difference likely reflects a confounding effect. Autopsy practitioners should recognize these risks and provide attendees with practical coping strategies. Such education can promote psychological safety, reduce severe distress and secondary injuries, and help maintain a safe working environment. (Copyright © 2026 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.) |
| Competing Interests: | Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper. |
| Contributed Indexing: | Keywords: Forensic autopsy; Occupational safety; Physical distress; Police officer; Vasovagal reflex |
| Entry Date(s): | Date Created: 20260626 Date Completed: 20260708 Latest Revision: 20260708 |
| Update Code: | 20260709 |
| DOI: | 10.1016/j.legalmed.2026.102898 |
| PMID: | 42361781 |
| Βάση Δεδομένων: | MEDLINE |
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