The autopsy of Bassirou Diop, close guard of Dakar Mayor Barthélémy Dias, was carried out at the anatomy and pathological cytology laboratory of the Idrissa Pouye general hospital in Grand Yoff (Hogip). The results revealed several abnormalities including a heart problem which would have affected organs in his body including the lungs. The said report which speaks of cardiomegaly with hypertrophy of the left ventricle did not mention any details of what happened before the death of this security guard. According to an emergency doctor, “it is difficult to conclude with certainty that this death was strictly natural. Especially since the doctor did not clearly relate his observations to the specific circumstances of the death in detention. Which makes the conclusion incomplete on a medico-legal level.”
“It is difficult to conclude that this death (Editor’s note: of Bassirou Diop) is strictly natural,” declared an emergency doctor. Who gives his opinion on the conclusions of the autopsy report carried out at the Idrissa Pouye general hospital in Grand Yoff (Hogip) and which is circulating everywhere on social networks. The said report speaks of a “contusion of the right cheekbone, cardiomegaly of 500 g accompanied by hypertrophy of the ventricular myocardium of 1.8cm and congestion and pulmonary edema characterized by a right lung of 1250 g and a left lung of 1100 g, as well as a “muxade” hepatomegaly of 2800 g”. Professor Chérif Mouhamed Dial who also mentioned the presence of gastric liquid contents of average abundance without particularity as well as cerebral congestion also carried out a microscopic examination on a fragment of lung using a rapid technique showing an aspect of the cardiac lung. His final examination indicates decompensated hypertrophic cardiomyopathy as the main cause of Mr. Diop’s death.
For the emergency doctor who reacted to the growing controversy, the report of this medical examination shows a “sick and tired heart”. The report, he said, speaks of “cardiomegaly with hypertrophy of the left ventricle. Which means the heart was larger and thicker than normal. This situation is often due to excessive effort of the heart to pump blood, as in certain chronic heart diseases. This condition can render the heart unable to function properly, causing heart failure, where the heart can no longer pump blood efficiently to the rest of the body.
The report detected several abnormalities on the body of the deceased. Including “congestion and pulmonary edema”. Which, according to the doctor who spoke anonymously, means that “fluid has accumulated in the lungs, making breathing difficult, if not impossible. In the liver, there was also hepatic congestion. This indicates that the liver is clogged with blood due to poor functioning of the heart. In the brain too, cerebral congestion is noted, suggesting that blood is also accumulating in the brain. Which can cause headaches or loss of consciousness,” he said, returning to the heart problem which affected other organs of the late Bassirou cited in the medical examination carried out at Grand Yoff hospital. Which report concluded that the cause of death was “decompensated hypertrophic cardiomyopathy”. Which is “a condition where the heart muscle is abnormally thick and eventually becomes exhausted, leading to acute heart failure. So an old situation that has been evolving for some time. What this means in simple terms. The heart gradually lost its ability to pump blood properly. This caused fluid to build up in the lungs, liver and brain, leading to death. This situation can occur naturally in people with undiagnosed or poorly managed heart disease. It can also be triggered by significant stress, excessive physical exertion, or a lack of treatment,” explained our interlocutor who questions some important reservations and questions omitted in the report.
The report gives no details about what happened before the death
In particular the question linked to the circumstances of the death of Bassirou Diop. “This patient was in custody. The question is: could the stress linked to this situation (or a possible violent arrest, according to the testimonies) have precipitated this cardiac decompensation? The report does not give any details on what happened before death, an element that is nevertheless crucial to interpreting the cause,” he said. He also notes another absence of complementary analysis. For him, “the autopsy report does not mention a toxicological examination which could identify possible substances which contributed to the death. No mention of searching for external or internal trauma. If the patient had been mishandled or injured, it could have worsened his heart condition. The notion of contusion of the cheekbone without further details on the damage caused is not sufficient to support a clear cause. The patient’s medical history is not discussed. The family says he had no known history of heart disease. Which raises the question of insufficient medical interpretation,” he says. Before adding this: “the medical expert describes the internal observations (cardiac hypertrophy, organ congestion) but does not clearly connect these observations to the specific circumstances of the death in custody. This makes the conclusion forensically incomplete. In France for example or in developed countries, such a report would be considered insufficient without in-depth exploration of the context and complementary analyses.
the conclusion of “decompensated hypertrophic cardiomyopathy” is plausible
In his critical analysis, our interlocutor finds that the conclusion of “decompensated hypertrophic cardiomyopathy” is plausible in view of the signs described. “This could explain a natural death linked to heart disease. But due to a lack of medico-legal data, and without toxicological tests, it is impossible to rule out other causes (toxins, drugs). The absence of research into trauma or explanations of the detention environment leaves doubt. Could cardiac decompensation have been avoided with rapid medical treatment? Fatal stress? If the patient suffered a violent arrest or intense stress in detention, this could have precipitated the cardiac decompensation. This factor is completely ignored in the report. Questions to ask to go further. What tests were carried out? Toxicology, histological analyzes (tissue study) and a search for injuries (not described as present or absent? What was the patient’s history? Did he have medical follow-up? Was he under treatment for a chronic pathology? What were the the conditions of detention? Was he subjected to stress or physical violence? Why this lack of details? “So many questions without answers yet. absent to attest that they were sought. Hence this controversy! “For the general public, the autopsy report points to a medically plausible cause of death (decompensated heart disease), but it raises questions about the specific conditions. surrounding this death and without taking into account the circumstances (stress, possible violence, lack of care), it is difficult to conclude with certainty that this death is strictly natural,” he said.
