COVID-19 pandemic: a reminder to develop forensic radiology facility

Authors

  • Tanuj Kanchan Department of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Jodhpur, Rajasthan, India https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0346-1075
  • Ashish Saraf Department of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh, India https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1801-1296
  • Kewal Krishan Department of Anthropology, Panjab University, Chandigarh, India https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5321-0958
  • Binit Surekha Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Jodhpur, Rajasthan, India https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7200-296X
  • Pawan Garg Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Jodhpur, Rajasthan, India https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5805-1869
  • Sanjeev Misra Director and CEO, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Jodhpur, Rajasthan, India https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0641-0946

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.3855/jidc.15167

Keywords:

COVID-19, Forensic Radiology, SARS-CoV-2, pandemic, autopsy practices

Abstract

COVID-19 outbreak has resulted in a substantial morbidity and mortality, and has put the health system under tremendous stress. A need for devising and adopting newer methods and techniques is being emphasized in the healthcare facilities to combat the effects of the SARS-CoV-2. Besides patient care, focus needs to be laid on the effective and dignified management of the deceased and medico-legal services provided by the hospitals and medical institutions during the COVID-19 pandemic. Considering the likelihood of forensic experts and autopsy personnel being exposed to SARS-CoV-2 inadvertently during the autopsy, it is recommended to resort to safer and minimally invasive techniques of postmortem examination of the dead. In this regard, employing radiological techniques for postmortem examination appears to be a promising option during the COVID-19 pandemic. An inherent advantage of postmortem radiography over conventional autopsies is the minimization of the risk of transmission of infection to the health care workers. Our correspondence highlights on the possibility of using radiological facilities as an effective replacement of high-risk conventional autopsy procedures during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Author Biographies

Tanuj Kanchan, Department of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Jodhpur, Rajasthan, India

Dr. Tanuj Kanchan, MD, MAMS, FIAMLE, FIALFS Vice Dean (Examinations), Additional Professor Department of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Jodhpur, Rajasthan, India

Ashish Saraf, Department of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh, India

Dr Ashish Saraf, MD, Department of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh

Kewal Krishan, Department of Anthropology, Panjab University, Chandigarh, India

Dr. Kewal Krishan is a renowned forensic anthropologist and presently serving as Associate Professor and former Chairperson at the Department of Anthropology, Panjab University, Chandigarh, India. He passed his BSc (Hons.), MSc (Hons.), and Ph.D. from Panjab University, India. He is well known for his contributions to forensic and biological anthropology in Indian populations. He published more than 221 articles in international and national journals of repute including high impact and reputed journals such as Nature, Nature Medicine, and The Lancet. Dr. Krishan has contributed to the advancement of Forensic Science and its applications in Indian populations. He has devised many methods of criminal investigation and formulae to be used in the criminal investigation process.

He contributed invited chapters to the most coveted Encyclopedia of Forensic Sciences (2013), Encyclopedia of Forensic and Legal Medicine (2016) published by Elsevier and Encyclopedia of Archaeological Sciences (2018) published by Wiley-Blackwell. He is the Editor and on the panel of editors of various reputed international forensic journals such as Forensic Science International, Medicine Science and the Law, Archives of Public Health etc. He has been awarded the fellowship of the Royal Anthropological Institute (FRAI) of Great Britain and Ireland, London for his contributions to forensic anthropology in India.

His research has been cited by more than 8500 studies in the scientific literature.

His Wikipedia profile is available at:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kewal_Krishan_(forensic_anthropologist)

His interests include Forensics, Human biology, Biological anthropology, Human morphology, Anthropometry, Forensic podiatry, Publication ethics, Malnutrition and anthropological aspects of Public Health

Binit Surekha, Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Jodhpur, Rajasthan, India

Dr Binit Surekha, MD,

Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Jodhpur, Rajasthan, India

Pawan Garg, Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Jodhpur, Rajasthan, India

Dr Pawan K. Garg, MD,

Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Jodhpur, Rajasthan, India 

Sanjeev Misra, Director and CEO, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Jodhpur, Rajasthan, India

Dr Sanjeev Misra, M.S., M.Ch., M.A.M.S, F.I.C.S, F.R.C.S.

Director and CEO, Department of Surgical Oncology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Jodhpur, Rajasthan, India

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Published

2021-11-30

How to Cite

1.
Kanchan T, Saraf A, Krishan K, Surekha B, Garg P, Misra S (2021) COVID-19 pandemic: a reminder to develop forensic radiology facility. J Infect Dev Ctries 15:1593–1596. doi: 10.3855/jidc.15167

Issue

Vol. 15 No. 11: November 2021

Section

Coronavirus Pandemic

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