This is a single center observational autopsy study, conducted during the first wave of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic in France. The main objective is to evaluate brain damages in patients who died from COVID-19 to inform the cause of death. Investigations include macroscopic and histology examinations, and virology analyses.

Setting: academic center designed as a referral center for patients with COVID-19 Design: single center observational autopsy study Participants: intensive care unit (ICU) adults who died from confirmed COVID-19 during the first wave of the pandemic in France.

Oversight: As per legal health authority requirement only patients with suspected or confirmed severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS)- related to coronavirus 2 infection were admitted to the ICU. The department of pathology and forensic medicine is allowed by legal authority to perform autopsy of non-survivors from COVID-19 to inform the cause of death as per ministerial decree of July 12 2017 and March 28, 2020. In this context, of autopsy for medical purpose and public interest there is no requirement for institutional review board submission. However, consent from patients legal representative or closest relatives is required for autopsy.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Adults
• admitted to the ICU
• confirmed COVID-19
• died during ICU stay

Exclusion Criteria:

• refusal from patient's legal representative or closest relative

All consecutive patients admitted to the ICU for severe COVID-19 and who died during their ICU stay and for whom family consent was obtained for performing autopsy

all individual patient data will be available upon request to the study official and after signing a data sharing agreement immediately after publication in a peer-reviewed journal