The post-mortem examination conducted on Prateek Yadav’s body found that he suffered a “cardiorespiratory collapse due to massive pulmonary thromboembolism,” indicating that a large blood clot had severely obstructed blood flow in the lungs and triggered sudden failure of the heart and respiratory system, according to the autopsy report accessed by HT.
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The findings suggest that Yadav was suffering from a critical pulmonary thromboembolic condition at the time of death. In medical terms, pulmonary thromboembolism occurs when blood clots travel through the bloodstream and become lodged in the arteries of the lungs, blocking circulation and oxygen exchange. Doctors describe the condition as potentially fatal, particularly when the clot burden is extensive and causes abrupt collapse.
Medical experts said such clots commonly originate in the deep veins of the legs or lower body before moving to the lungs. In severe cases, patients can experience sudden breathlessness, chest pain, dizziness, collapse and cardiac arrest within minutes.
The post-mortem report stated that the entire heart, along with pulmonary thromboembolic material, was preserved in formalin for detailed histopathological examination. The laboratory analysis is expected to determine the exact nature, age and origin of the clot material and assess associated pathological changes in the cardiovascular system.
In addition, viscera samples were preserved and handed over to the concerned authorities for chemical analysis. Officials indicated that the final medical opinion in the case would be based on the outcome of both histopathological and forensic laboratory examinations.
HT contacted several medical and forensic experts, including chief medical officer Dr NB Singh, for comments on the autopsy findings. However, officials either declined to comment or stated that conclusive observations would emerge only after the pending laboratory examinations are completed. The report further noted that all injuries observed on the body were “antemortem,” meaning they occurred before death. Officials said certain external marks may have resulted from collapse-related trauma.
