The Medical-Legal Implications of the COVID-19 Pandemic and the Autopsy and Histopathological Findings of SARS-CoV-2 Infection

Dear Colleagues,

In this Special Issue, we want to analyze medical–legal issues and autopsy findings related to the COVID-19 pandemic. SARS-CoV-2 infection has had and is still having serious repercussions in the area of ​​Forensic Medicine, concerning the management of infectious corpses, autopsy difficulties in some countries, and the increase in medicolegal disputes. Moreover, despite numerous measures to prevent contagions, cases of SARS-CoV-2 infections acquired in hospitals have been reported both among health professionals and patients. The latter has brought negative repercussions for public health, risk management, the control of hospital-acquired infections, and in the medicolegal field. The overload of hospitals and the fear of infection are causing management of non-COVID-19 patients to be difficult and diagnostic–therapeutic delay for other pathologies (oncological, cardiovascular, etc.). Therefore, in this Special Issue, we want to discuss all the possible medical–legal themes and enquiries related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

From an autopsy point of view, COVID-19 represented a new pathology and, especially during the early stages of the pandemic, its pathophysiology was not well understood. Subsequent studies made it possible to better understand pathological aspects. Furthermore, a multiorgan aspect was observed. In this Special Issue, we want to discuss and analyze the macroscopic, histological, immunohistochemical and ultrastructural findings of SARS-CoV-2 infection, through original articles, case series, reviews of the literature and relevant case reports.

Dr. Rosario Barranco
Prof. Dr. Francesco Ventura
Guest Editors

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• COVID-19 
• SARS-CoV-2 
• Legal Medicine 
• Forensic Medicine 
• Autopsy 
• Histopathology 
• Immunohistochemistry
• Medico-Legal disputes