Table 1

Features of 15 cases dying in acute episode, ranked by age at death

No.	Coh number	Age	Sex	Clinical features	Spleen at autopsy
					Autopsy number	Weight		Ratio	Culture
					Autopsy number	Obs	Exp	Obs/Exp	Culture
Documented ASS in life
1	101	0.6	F	Dead on arrival, pallor ++ (2nd event)	9434	122	22	5.5	Streptococcus pneumoniae*
2	52	0.6	F	Died day after admission (2nd event), Hb 5.3	8977	60	23	2.6	S. pneumoniae†
3	75	1.8	M	Died on way to hospital, pallor ++ (2nd event), Hb 2.4	9742	62	33	1.9	S. pneumoniae‡
4	12	4.5	M	Died during admission (3rd event), Hb 2.5	10 302	445	49	9.1	Nad
5	76	15.5	F	Died during admission (4th event), Hb 2.7	14 628	946	100	9.5	Nad
Possible ASS at death
6	314	0.4	F	Died on way to hospital, fever, pallor	11 421	110	16	5.3	Nad
7	285	0.6	M	Died on way to hospital, pallor ++, ACS	11 172	90	17	3.8	Nad
8	200	0.6	M	Died on way to hospital, Hb 0.8	10 496	115	19	6.1	Nad
9	65	0.8	F	Died on way to hospital, pallor ++	X75/10	92	25	3.7	S. pneumoniae§
10	120	0.9	F	Died at home, pallor ++	9705	60	25	2.4	Nad
11	102	1.0	F	Died during admission, ACS, Hb 5.8	9584	45	22	2.0	Nad
12	41	1.5	F	Died at home, pallor ++	9314	172	30	5.7	Nad
13	135	1.5	F	Died during admission, pallor ++	Govt	140	30	5.5	Enterobacter†
14	138	1.7	F	Died during admission, pallor ++	10 329	160	30	5.3	Klebsiella†
15	70	2.7	F	Died during admission, drowsy ++	10 134	140	37	3.8	Klebsiella†

*Bronchus.
†Cardiac blood.
‡Bronchus, middle ear and lung.
§Middle ear.
ACS, acute chest syndrome; Exp, Expected; Hb, haemoglobin; Nad, no significant growth on culture; Obs, observed.