ICS Flashcards
What are the types of autopsy?
Hospital Autopsy (10%)
Medico-Legal Autopsy (90%)
Types of medico-legal autopsies?
Coronial : death not due to unlawful action
Forensic : unlawful death eg murder
Coronial Autopsy role:
Who , when, where, how
3 reasons why deaths are referred to coroner
- Presumed Natural - No known cause. Pt hasn’t seen doctor 14 days prior.
- Presumed Iatrogenic - peri/post operative death. Anaesthesia, illegal abortion.
- Presumed Unnatural : Accidents, suicide, neglect, murder, industrial death: coal mine/asbestos
Where do referrals come from?
- doctors - don’t have a statutory duty to refer. common law duty.
- registrar of BDM: Stat duty to refer
- relatives/police
Who performs autopsies?
- Histopathologist: Hospital Autopsy. Coronial: Natural death, drowning, suicide, accident, road traffic, fire , industrial, peri/postoperative
- Forensic Pathologist : homicide, death in custody, neglect.
Autopsy steps?
- External Exam: Identify, Disease/treatment, injuries, Evisceration
- Internal Exam : Avoid lower GI tract (infection risk). GU tract is common for cancer.
What is evisceration?
Y shaped incision - behind ears down clavicles down midline. examine organs in situ. remove thoracic, Abdo organs and brain.
What is acute inflammation?
The initial and often transient series of tissue reactions to injury - might last few hrs to few days
What is inflammation?
the local physiological response to tissue injury
2 benefits of acute inflammation?
- destruct invading microorganisms.
- wall of abscess cavity= prevent infection spread
2 limitations of acute inflammation?
- abscess in the brain = space occupying lesion compressing vital surrounding structures.
- fibrosis due to chronic inflammation = distorted tissues and permanently altered function.
Steps of Acute Inflammation
- initial reaction of tissue to injury
- vascular component : dilation
- exudative component: vascular leakage of protein rich fluid.
- neutrophil polymorph (wbc) - characteristic cell recruited to the tissue.
Outcomes of Acute Inflammation
- Resolution - goes away
- Suppuration - pus forms
- Organisation - fibrosis healing.
What is suppuration?
pus formation eg abscess
What is organisation (Acute inflammation) ? (STEPS)
- healing by fibrosis (scar formation) - where tissue lacks ability to regenerate specialised cells. substantial damage to connective tissue.
- dead tissue + acute inflammatory exudate removed by macrophages from damaged areas.
- defect becomes filled with granulation tissue.
4.granulation tissue gradually produces collagen to form fibrous (collagenous) scar constituting the process of repair.