Bilateral tension pneumothorax due to acupuncture: Two autopsy cases

Pneumothorax is a common and serious complications related to acupuncture needling. Although there have been several clinical cases of pneumothorax induced by acupuncture, autopsy reports on cases of sudden death with the typical gross pathological findings are rare. In the two cases presented here, the deceased suffered dyspnea and chest discomfort after the completion of acupuncture treatments and were found dead within a few hours. Acupuncture pathways from the skin to the lungs, resulting in total bilateral lung collapse were found upon autopsy in these cases. When a sudden death occurs in association with acupuncture the possibility of pneumothorax should be considered and there should be meticulous efforts to find evidence during forensic autopsy.