Journal of forensic sciences
-
Supine hypotensive syndrome is characterized by severe supine hypotension in late pregnancy, whose clinical presentation ranges from minimal cardiovascular alterations to severe shock, resulting from inferior vena cava compression by gravid uterus. We report a case of a 41-year-old 39-week-pregnant woman found dead supine. ⋯ The diagnosis of supine hypotensive syndrome as the probable cause of death is supported by the position of the body and autopsy findings. This syndrome can be considered as the first stage of the physio-pathological mechanism that led to death in the case presented herein and should be considered by pathologists as a cause of sudden death.