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Case Reports
. 2025 Jun;21(2):844-852.
doi: 10.1007/s12024-024-00933-1. Epub 2025 Jan 2.

Fatal acute uterine inversion post-vaginal delivery: an autopsy-based case report

Arijit Datta  1 , Darshan Galoria  1 , Sweta Sinha  2 , Arpan Kumar Pan  3
Affiliations
Case Reports

Fatal acute uterine inversion post-vaginal delivery: an autopsy-based case report

Arijit Datta et al. Forensic Sci Med Pathol. 2025 Jun.

Abstract

Uterine inversion refers to the condition where the fundus is turned inside and positioned within the uterine cavity. Uterine inversion is a life-threatening and uncommon obstetric emergency that can be fatal because of postpartum hemorrhage and shock. Acute uterine inversion is the most common type, which occurs within 24 h of delivery and is usually associated with untrained birth attendants and a lack of knowledge of labor-inducing drugs. We present a case of alleged medical negligence in the death of a 23-year-old female following vaginal delivery of a second child with autopsy findings suggestive of uterine inversion. The primary cause of death in this patient was postpartum hemorrhage and shock resulting from acute uterine inversion. This case underscores the importance of postmortem examinations in determining responsibility in legal proceedings.

Keywords: Forensic pathology; Medical negligence; Postpartum hemorrhage; Uterine inversion; Vaginal delivery.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declarations. Ethical approval and consent to participate: This article does not contain any studies involving human participants or animals performed by the author. Moreover, this case report was based on a medicolegal autopsy that underwent after the authorization of the police investigating officer and no identifier is revealed. Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests.

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