Completing a Vermont Death Certificate

An Example of a Poorly Written Cause of Death Statement

Part I

Due to, or as a consequence of:
A. Septic Shock
Due to, or as a consequence of:
B. Gram-negative Sepsis
Due to, or as a consequence of:
C.

When reading this one should immediately ask, "Why did this person become septic?" Spontaneous sepsis in an otherwise healthy person is extremely rare. Was there something else going on with this person?

A cursory review of the patient's medical record indicated this patient had multiple sclerosis with a neurogenic bladder and a chronic indwelling catheter which resulted in a urinary tract infection. An accurate and complete cause of death statement would be:

Part I

Due to, or as a consequence of:
A. Gram-negative sepsis
Due to, or as a consequence of:
B. Urinary tract infection
Due to, or as a consequence of:
C. Indwelling catheter or neurogenic bladder
Due to, or as a consequence of:
D. Multiple Sclerosis

Part 2. OTHER SIGNIFICANT CONDITIONS: Conditions contributing to death but not resulting in the underlying cause of death in Part I.

This gives a much better understanding of exactly why this person died. It tells a specific story and gives an etiologically specific underlying cause of death.

 

It is the purpose of this tutorial to help a practicing physician generate competent and useful cause of death statements.

Links to related topics are available on the right side menu, or you can complete the entire tutorial to receive CME credit.