How do medical examiners handle an "unattended death"?

Factual Questions
1

Okay, here’s the deal. My dad died suddenly this past Wednesday. He was not ill or suffering from any know disorder or disease. He was suffering from some “not right” feeling, according to my mom, but it never rose to a level that concerned anyone. When mom left for work Wedensday morning, my dad was still asleep (this was not unusual). When she returned home in the evening, he was in bed, still wearing his pajamas.

Now, since no one was home at the time of his death, the police said that the ME’s office had to examine the body. That’s fine. In less than twenty-four hours, me dad’s personal doctor declared the cause to be an acute cardiac infarction. He had a sudden heart attack. There is no evidence of suffering or any other issues. My dad was 62 and he smoked a pipe since his twenties, and cigarettes off and on since the teen years. A heart attack, while completely unexpected and shocking, does not seem too far-fetched to me.

My question, though, is how thorough is this diagnosis? I am not at all concerned about a crime, but I am concerned about my own health. I am the oldest son of my parents (I have one younger sister). Now I have a dad who died of heart problems. But did he? Are there any other possibilities? Is it possible that the doctors simply put down a plausible explanation that fits the profile. It seems entirely possible to me that there could have been an anyurism or some other sudden defect.

As his son, how concerned should I be about my own heart health, other than what I was before (which was only mildly concerned)? I know that my diet could use some examination, but otherwise, I lead a fairly healthy, busy life. My schoolbus driver’s license requires an annual physical, and I never have serious problems with that. I’ve even had an EKG and a heart stress test about a year ago and found no problems. (I had the heart exams because I was experiencing “skipped beats”, that seem to be related to caffeine intake – I love my Cokes!) I’m 37 years old, so my sixties are a ways off yet, but not completely out of sight.

So, now that this has happened, how confident should I be that the ME’s office got it right? What should I do for my own health now?

2

My sympathies over your loss.

You should ask your father’s physician to explain how he came to that conclusion.
There are definitite physical signs indicating various causes of death. If you are really concerned, you could ask for a complete autopsy. It would be helpful to explain to the doctor your concerns about your own health.

Talk to your own doctor about your concerns also. A good doctor will recommend a routine to monitor your own heath. Better to monotor your diet and activity now, when you get to 60 it’s too late to make an effective change.

Good health to all

3

My sympathies on your loss.

It can be hard to determine the exact cause of death without an autopsy. Heart attack is certainly a vey common cause of death and sounds reasonable given what I know of his history (i.e. very little). The work involved in getting a more exact diagnosis is usually not worth it in unsuspicious cases. This is since the original diagnosis is probably right, autopsy can be trauamtic for some families and autopsy might be costly in a routine case.

You should probably assume your father did die of a heart attack. Stop smoking, eat healthier, get your cholesterol checked, lose weight if needed, exercise regularly and get your blood pressure checked once in a while. I wouldn’t expect someone under 40 to have a bad EKG or stress test (no cocaine users need apply) – the trick is to have one when you are 70. If you drink an awful lot of Coke consider changing, some of the time, to a caffeine free or diet version.