Death in France - trying to work out cause of death

[Wafflesandcrepes]

I’m trying to find out how my mum died and going through her medical files. (Mum died suddenly and unexpectedly in France - no autopsy was offered.)

I’ve a few questions which I’m researching:

• A report from a cardiologist noted some calcification in her aorta in 2019 but not in 2021. Can calcification go away by itself?
• The cause of death on her death certificate says cardiac arrest. My dad’s GP said cardiac arrest would have been quick and relatively painless. And her death was anything but painless. Is my dad’s GP correct?
• For anyone with experience of the French system, could the emergency services have recorded her cause of death as cardiac arrest simply because she was dead when they finally arrived? (They initially declined to attend when my dad first called them.)

Sorry if this seems very random. The French system is an absolute pig and am currently dealing with very obstructive French medics. Thank you for reading me.

I'm so sorry I've no answers but I just wanted to say I'm very sorry for your loss, and the added complications. Take care of yourself.

So sorry, this must be very hard. Cardiac arrest simply means her heart had stopped. It doesn't necessarily mean a heart attack.

@Wafflesandcrepes there’s a fb group called Strictly Santé, ( English speaking group for French health matters) join that and see if they can help.
They should point you in the right direction.
So sorry about your dm.

@Wafflesandcrepes I'm so sorry for the sad loss of your Mum, I know this will be a very difficult time for you.

I think that what is adding to your confusion about the Death Certificate, is that French and British death certificates are slightly different.

The British certificate puts the emphasis on the medical cause of death, but the French certificate emphasises where and when the death took place and confirms the death, the actual medical cause of death is secondary information.

I wonder if it would help you to have a chat to your Mum's GP, it might begin to put your mind at rest. Kindest thoughts to you.

So the two GPs whom my mum consulted in the two weeks prior to her death have not been helpful. They probably massively stuffed up and are being highly defensive so no help forthcoming on that front.

On the matter of the death certificate, apologies. I meant cause of death as given by the Samu team who eventually turned up.

Thank you to all posters who have replied already!