To ascertain the cause of death, the first step is to understand the differences between

1.Mode or Mechanism of death

 

2.Manner of death and

 

3.Cause of death

Mode or Mechanism of death

It is a derangement or disturbance by which a cause of death exerts its lethal effect (e.g., cardiac arrest, respiratory arrest, cardio-respiratory arrest); this must not be used as an underlying cause of death.

Manner of death

It is the way in which the death occurred. It can be classified as below:

Manner of death

Natural

Unnatural

1.Deaths due to biomedical causes

1.Accident

2.Homicide

3.Suicide

Pending       investigation

 Pending investigation is  where it is not clear whether  the death was due to a   natural or unnatural cause  and is therefore under  forensic/police investigation.

Cause of death 

Cause of death is a term used to indicate the medical cause of death. It lists the disease(s) or injuries that caused death.

 

It includes:

a. Underlying CoD

b. Immediate CoD

c. Antecedent CoD

You will learn more about each of these further on.

  • It is important to differentiate between the Mode, Manner and Cause of death in an individual

  • On a death certificate, only the Cause of death and Manner  of death are to be filled and not Mode of death

Made with Slides.com