Abstract
Since 2026, the Postmortem Evaluation of Sudden Unexplained Death in Youth (PESUDY) procedure has been available in all University Medical Centers (UMCs) in the Netherlands. This postmortem investigation in unexpected and unexplained death of minors, can be carried out with the consent of parents. The PESUDY procedure, in which a cause of death was demonstrated in 71%, has already demonstrated the valuable impact for the surviving relatives. Partly due to these PESUDY results, the Netherlands Organization of Health Research and Development (ZonMw) made funding available to implement a structured procedure for suddenly deceased young adults from 18 to 45 years old, which has shown major regional differences up to now. In this article, we explain the run-up to this funding. We also describe the postmortem research protocol that has already been implemented in the Northeast of the Netherlands, the future distribution of this pilot and the upcoming amendment of the Burial and Cremation Act.