Autopsy Findings in Cases of Fatal COVID-19 Vaccine-Induced Myocarditis
Authors' conclusion
The temporal relationship, internal and external consistency seen among cases in this review with known COVID-19 vaccine-induced myocarditis, its pathobiological mechanisms, and related excess death, complemented with autopsy confirmation, independent adjudication, and application of the Bradford Hill criteria to the overall epidemiology of vaccine myocarditis, suggests that there is a high likelihood of a causal link between COVID-19 vaccines and death from myocarditis.
Study context
- Population
- Published autopsy cases of COVID-19 vaccine-induced myocarditis as possible cause of death, through 3 July 202314 papers
- Participants
- 28 cases
- Outcome
- Causal link between COVID-19 vaccination and death from myocarditis (independent adjudication)
Methodological detailsindependent adjudication by three physicians
- Independent adjudication by three physicians
Pooled result
As reported in the abstract
Deaths most likely causally linked to COVID-19 vaccination
Deaths adjudicated as most likely causally linked to COVID-19 vaccination
28 of 28
Further pooled results
Case characteristics
- Cardiovascular system the only organ system affected
- 26 cases
- Myocarditis as consequence of multisystem inflammatory syndrome
- 2 cases
- Mean age at death
- 44.4 years
- Mean days from last vaccination to death
- 6.2
- Median days from last vaccination to death
- 3
Original publication
Autopsy Findings in Cases of Fatal COVID-19 Vaccine-Induced Myocarditis. ESC Heart Fail. Published 14 January 2024. doi:10.
Summarised from the published abstract; every number is checked against it