Cell pathology 5: The autopsy Flashcards
Autopsy: list reasons for conducting an autopsy, explain the consent process, and recall cases that must be reported to the Coroner Autopsy findings: summarise causes of sudden unexpected death, and define and recall possible mechanism of injury for traumatic features which may be found on an autopsy including, a bruise, an abrasion, a laceration, a cut and a stab
List the cases that must be reported to the coronor
- Unknown cause of death
- Suicide
- Neglect suspected (self/non-self)
- Occupational reason
- Not seen a doctor 14 days before or immediately after death
- Suspicious circumstances
- Due to an accident (could have happened a long time before death)
- Due to an abortion
- Occured during an operation or before the effects of an anaestheric wore off
- Occured in or shortly after police custody
- May be related to poisoning
What is the difference between a coroners autopsy and a hospital autopsy?
- Coroners is to determine cause of death, and looks at only the thing that may have caused death.
- Hospital may be educational, and looks at the whole body.
- Hospital requires consent from family, coroners does not.
- Hospital may be done because of audit (discrepancies between stated cause of deatha nd actual cause of death)
Why are death certificates important?
They are used for epidemiology - accurate morbidity and mortality data is needed to allocate resources and detect environmental risks.
How is a death certificate filled out?
1a Immediate cause of death (MUST BE DONE)
1b Predisposing factor caused by 1c
1c Predisposing factor
2 Other factors contributing but not directly leading to death
List the natural causes of sudden unexplained death.
- Cardiovascular disease (usually cardiac arrhythmia)
- Stroke
- Hypertensive heart disease
- Cardiomyopathy
- Conduction abnormalities
- Ruptured aortic aneurism
- Haemmorage
- Asthma
- Pulmonary embolism
List the pother causes of sudden unexplained death.
- Drugs
- Alcohol
- Trauma (self induces/caused by others)
List the types of injury
- Bruise
- Abrasion
- Laceration
- Cut/Stab wounds
What causes bruising?
A blunt trauma injury causes blood to leak from damaged small arteries, venules and veins (not capillaries) Usually people dont bruise after death
What is an abraison?
A graze or scratch which is confined to the epidermis, and may extend to superficial dermis. They can occur before or after death.
What types of forces cause abrasions?
- Tangenial forces cause a distal skin tag
- Vertical force such as a stamp has no distal skin tag.
What is a laceration?
A split to the skin which is the result of blunt force overstretching the skin. They usually pass through the full thickness of the skin.
What are the characteristics of a laceration?
They are deep and will bleed
- Margins have crushing and bruising
- Bridging fibres arch across the skin defect
- Common where skin is compressed, rare in fleshy areas
What is flaying and what does it cause?
Tangentially applied force leads to a horizontal laceration
Describe a cut injury
The length of the injury is longer than the depth
Describe a stab injury
The depth of the wound is greater than the width
