Exploring postmortem practices for cardiac device interrogation in the UK
Holly Morgan, Tesfamariam Betemariam, Matthew Ryan, Rachel Bastiaenen, Pier D Lambiase, Aldo Rinaldi, Divaka Perera · 2026
Read Exploring postmortem practices for cardiac device interrogation in the UK by Holly Morgan, Tesfamariam Betemariam, Matthew Ryan, Rachel Bastiaenen, Pier D Lambiase, Aldo Rinaldi, Divaka Perera (2026) in the Tower of Babel, a free online library of public-domain works preserved in clean, searchable text. No sign-up. The full text is served as a plain-text file at a predictable URL, where text is present: https://antarctic-labs.com/tower-of-babel/PMC13311938.txt.
Description
Holly Morgan and co-authors survey postmortem checking of implanted heart devices across the United Kingdom in a 2026 study. Device data can explain sudden death, yet practice after death is unclear.
Freedom of information requests went to 173 NHS trusts, and 83 replied, covering deaths from 2019 to 2024. Each mortuary handled about 2400 deaths a year, with an estimated 5 percent having a device in place. Only 15 of 75 sites with heart physiology on site checked devices routinely after death. Findings rarely reached records or care teams. The authors see a missed source of answers for families and coroners.
Catalog record
| CREATOR | Holly Morgan, Tesfamariam Betemariam, Matthew Ryan, Rachel Bastiaenen, Pier D Lambiase, Aldo Rinaldi, Divaka Perera |
|---|---|
| YEAR | 2026 |
| COLLECTION | PAPERS |
| FORMAT | TXT |
| FILE SIZE | 10700 |
| LICENSE | https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0 |
| RIGHTS | CC BY |
| SOURCE | Europe PMC |