[Lung embolism as the cause of death in legal medicine]. / Todesursache Lungenembolie in der Rechtsmedizin.

In 16,216 autopsies 381 cases (2.35%) of pulmonary embolism were found to be the immediate cause of death. 53.8% of the cases were due to natural reasons and 44.6% were due to violence (preferably accidents followed by immobilisation). 149 persons died within the first three weeks of illness. In 63 cases the source of embolism could not be found. The frequency of pulmonary embolism in this study complies with other extensive researches. The practical and legal relevance of death caused by pulmonary embolism (kind of death, cause, sudden death, statistics of mortality, certainty of the diagnosis, medical postmortem examination, order of autopsy) are discussed.