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At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

The difference between date of suicidal act and recorded death certificate date in 204 consecutive suicides.

The date of death recorded on death certificates (DCD) was compared to the date of the suicidal act (DA) in a consecutive series of 204 suicides. The DA was known to be the same as the DCD in only 46 per cent of the cases. The DA was different from the DCD in 22 per cent of the cases. The difference between the DA and DCD should be taken into consideration in the analysis of temporal trends.

Death Certificates↗

An assessment of the validity of a computer system for probabilistic record linkage of birth and infant death records in Canada. The Fetal and Infant Health Study Group.

Studies on the validity of probabilistic record linkage are sparse. We performed a probabilistic linkage to link the 1984-1994 birth records (obtained from the Canadian Birth Data Base) with 1984-1995 infant death records (from the Canadian Mortality Data Base) in Canada. We extracted the linked birth-death records for Nova Scotia and Alberta (from January 1990 to December 1991) obtained from Statistics Canada's vital registration data and compared them with corresponding records from provincial data (primarily hospital records). The results showed that over 99% of infant deaths (153/155) in the Nova Scotia provincial data were successfully located in the linked Statistics Canada file; the corresponding figure for Alberta neonatal deaths was also 99% (365/367). The distributions of gestational age and birth weight in matched cases demonstrated high agreement between the two data sources. We conclude that the computer system for probabilistic linkage developed by Statistics Canada using the available personal identifying variables in the Canadian Birth Data Base and the Canadian Mortality Data Base is valid.

Alberta↗

A comparative study of hospital fetal death records and Washington State fetal death certificates.

Hospital fetal death records were compared with Washington State fetal death certificates to ascertain the completeness of reporting. Washington State law requires reporting of all fetal deaths of 20 or more weeks gestation. For 16 hospitals reporting 603 fetal deaths, an additional 49 fetal deaths were identified in the mother's charts. The study documents underreporting, especially in the gestational ages closet to the 20-week age limitation where 71 per cent of the 48 unreported cases were 20 to 27 weeks gestation.

Death Certificates↗

The western australian road injury database (1987-1996): ten years of linked police, hospital and death records of road crashes and injuries.

Accurate information about injuries and their causes is essential to road safety research, policy development and evaluation. Such information is most powerful when it is available for all road crashes within a jurisdiction. The Western Australian Road Injury Database achieves this through the on-going linkage of crash details from reports to police with the details of injuries to casualties contained in hospital and death records. Over the 10-year period 1987-1996, 386,132 road crashes involving 142,308 casualties were reported to the police in Western Australia. There were also 47,757 hospital discharge records and 2,906 death records related to road crashes during this period. Of the 142,308 police casualties, 17 848 had a matching hospital discharge record and 2,454 had a matching death registration. Linkage within the hospital records revealed that the 47,757 discharge records involved 43,179 individuals, of whom 39,073 were admitted to hospital once, 3,653 were admitted twice, 374 were admitted three times and 78 were admitted more than three times. Of the 43,179 hospitalised casualties, 817 had a matching death record. Linked police, hospital and death records of road crash casualties provide accurate outcome information for casualties in crashes reported to the police. In addition, estimates of under reporting of crashes for different road user groups can be made by comparing hospital records with and without a matching police record. This article demonstrates the power of a linked system to answer complex research questions related to outcome and under-reporting.

Accidents, Traffic↗

The NCHS pilot project to link birth and infant death records: stage 1.

The National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) has completed a pilot test of its method to develop national linked files of birth and infant death records. A linked file of the 1982 birth cohort was produced that successfully linked 97 percent of the death records for infants who died in a nine-State area. The method NCHS uses to create national linked files takes full advantage of two existing data sources: the NCHS fully coded natality and mortality files and State files of matched births and infant deaths. For the nine-State pilot area, NCHS obtained computerized linked files from the States and extracted from them the certificate numbers on matching birth and death records. With the use of these numbers, NCHS selected and linked birth and death statistical records from its final natality and mortality files, thus creating new statistical linked records. The initial match rate of 93.2 percent for the project's linked record file was increased to 96.7 percent as a result of efforts by the pilot States to complete the matching of birth and infant death records. Matching in the nine-State linked file appears to be highly accurate, based on the results of two evaluation studies. In the second stage of the project, now underway, NCHS will continue to evaluate and improve State and national linked files for the four birth cohorts of 1983-86. With funding from the Department of Health and Human Services' Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation, stage 2 will be conducted in collaboration with each of the 50 States, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, and New York City, an independent registration area.

Birth Certificates↗

Quality assessment of fetal death records in Georgia: a method for improvement.

OBJECTIVES: Although more fetal deaths than neonatal deaths occur, routinely collected fetal death data are seldom used for perinatal epidemiologic research because of data quality concerns. We developed a strategy for identifying and correcting errors in birthweight and gestational age in fetal death records. METHODS: Using data from Georgia for 1989 and 1990, we detected singleton fetal death records having improbable or missing birthweight or gestational age by comparing these values with referent values. To verify the questionable values, we contacted 100 reporting hospitals in 1992. RESULTS: In 817 of 2226 records, values were either improbable (60.1%) or missing (39.9%). We were able to contact the hospitals to verify data for 716 (88%) of these records. Verification resulted in corrections to 405 (57%) records, and 48% of unreported birthweights were obtained. CONCLUSIONS: Many errors in recorded gestational age and birthweight were identified by this method. Rather than deleting or inputting problem data for analyses, researchers should consider efforts to verify them. Efforts to improve this information should include improved reporting, strict quality assurance, and procedures for routine verification and correction of records.

Birth Weight↗

Racial differences between linked birth and infant death records in Washington State.

The race of infants who died in Washington State 1968-1977 was ascertained by two different methods: 1) race on the death record, and 2) race on the corresponding linked birth record. The second method resulted in substantial increases in the numbers of infant deaths for the nonwhite races: Indian 39 per cent (n = 114/293), Filipino 56 per cent (n = 19/34), Japanese 121 per cent (n = 23/19), and Chinese 117 per cent (n = 14/12). For Indians, the discrepancy between birth and death records was greatest when the age at death was less than seven days (p < 0.01).

Birth Certificates↗

Perinatal death recording: time for a change?

The new perinatal death certificate proposed by the World Health Organisation was examined in relation to existing measures for recording perinatal death statistics and also with regard to new information gathered. Present procedures appear to underestimate the number of perinatal deaths by roughly 10%, though late registrations may lower this figure slightly. The use of a minimum birth weight as the criterion for inclusion in perinatal statistics removed much of the uncertainty associated with definitions of live birth and stillbirth. The new certificate led to duplication of some information already recorded through birth notification yet failed to provide information on some other factors generally considered relevant to perinatal mortality. The format proposed for recording cause of death provided a more logical presentation of events. Standardizing birth information recorded on all infants, modifying death certificates, and developing efficient record-linkage schemes would be more valuable than introducing the WHO certificate. Useful interpretation of the meaning of the characteristics of infants dying in the perinatal period awaits these timely changes.

Death Certificates↗

Sudden death recorded during Holter monitoring.

Six instances of sudden death were recorded by Holter monitoring, which showed ventricular fibrillation in five and a bradyarrhythmia in one. Complex ventricular ectopic activity preceded cardiac arrest in five patients, including the one with the bradyarrhythmic arrest. Two patients with chronic bifascicular block arrested as a result of ventricular fibrillation. Fifteen cases reports from the literature are reviewed. The composite profile includes advanced myocardial disease (present in all cases), complex ventricular ectopic activity, R-on-T initiation of the terminal rhythm except in patients with prolonged QT interval, and variations in cycle length preceeding the onset of ventricular tachycardia or fibrillation. The role of supraventricular mechanisms in sudden death is uncertain.

Aged↗

[Sudden cardiac death recorded during ambulatory electrocardiography].

Two patients who had sudden unexpected death while being monitored by a Holter electrocardiograph apparatus are reported. The first patient with heart disease of unknown etiology initially developed first degree A-V block, progressive left bundle branch block and finally asystole. The second patient with previous coronary artery disease and recent myocardial infarction revealed multifocal ventricular extrasystoles with frequent bigeminism and trigeminism which ended in ventricular tachycardia and fibrillation. Emphasis is made on the necessity of detecting those high risk patients and establishing preventive post-hospitalization care to modify the evolution and prognosis in this group of patients.

Aged↗

Sudden cardiac death recorded during ambulatory electrocardiographic monitoring.

Two case reports of sudden cardiac death are detailed here. Holter monitoring plays an important role in documenting arrhythmias leading to sudden cardiac death. In addition, the importance of the Lown grading concept should not be underestimated. Our two case reports and a subsequent review of the literature demonstrate both points.

Aged↗

[Reliability of recorded deaths from asthma in Denmark during a 1-year period 1994-1995].

INTRODUCTION: The aim of this study was to evaluate the accuracy of death certificates over a one-year period, where asthma was given as the cause of death. METHODS: All medical information available was collected on 218 patients by reviewing hospital records, records from general practitioners, and sometimes by interviewing close relatives. A panel of four pulmonologists each examined the information and independently assessed the cause of death. RESULTS: Thirty-nine were excluded, as the cause of death could not be validated. In 16 (9%) of the subjects, asthma was judged to be the definite cause of death and in 12 (7%) a possible cause. Of 151 non-asthma deaths, but registered as asthma, 109 were judged to have suffered or died from COPD and 14 from heart disease. DISCUSSION: The accuracy of Danish death certification in asthma deaths is poor, especially in the elderly, where COPD is often classified as asthma. We conclude that the true mortality from asthma in Denmark is substantially lower than that officially recorded.

Adult↗

[Current deaths due to tuberculosis in France. Analysis of 126 deaths recorded in tuberculosis sufferers in 1975 and 1976 in the Bas-Rhin region (author's transl)].

The authors present a study involving 103 cases of death during active tuberculosis and 23 cases of death as a result of complications related to sequelae of tuberculosis recorded in the Bas-Rhin region in 1975 and 1976. Whilst amongst these 103 deaths, the majority concerned elderly individuals, there were nevertheless 20% of deaths due to tuberculosis below the age of 55. The majority of these tuberculosis sufferers had advanced pulmonary lesions where specific therapy had not had time to act. A certain number of deaths could have been avoided, even in the elderly subjects. Of the 23 cases of death due to sequelae, 2/3 died of respiratory failure and 1/5 of secondary aspergillus infection, illustrating the grave prognosis in certain sequelae of tuberculosis.

Adult↗

Live birth and infant death record linkage: methodological and policy issues.

Using records from Ohio annual vital statistics tapes, we describe a method for linking live birth and infant death certificates and for dealing with late-registered and unregistered births. In our 1985-87 Cleveland and East Cleveland study population, deceased infants with late-registered births were found to be similar to those with timely registered births. Approximately 4.6% of decedents, however, had unregistered births and these tended to be very premature infants from socially disadvantaged backgrounds who died shortly after delivery (including homicides following birth at home). We discuss the policy implications of failing to link infant deaths with unregistered births in studies of birth outcomes.

Adult↗