ICS- pathology

Question 1

Pathology- Autopsy

What is an autopsy?

Answer 1

It is the medical examination of a body after death to dermine the cause of death.

Question 2

Pathology- Autopsy

What are the different types of autopsy?

Answer 2

• Hospital autopsy (Consent autopsy)
• Medico-legal autopsy (Coronial autopsy)

Question 3

Pathology- Autopsy

Why are hospital autopsies carried out?
What percentage of autopsies are hospital autopsies?

Answer 3

For audit, teaching, governance and research
<10% of all autopsies in the uk

Question 4

Pathology- Autopsy

Why are coronial autopsies carried out?
What percentage of autopsies are medico-legal?

Answer 4

They are done upon request of the coroner to determine the cause of death.
>90% of all autopsies in the UK

Question 5

Pathology- Autopsy

Who performs autopsies?

Answer 5

Histopathologists or forensic pathologists

Question 6

Pathology- Autopsy

when do histopathologists perform autopsies?

Answer 6

when the suspected reason of death is:
* Natural
* drowning
* suicide
* accident
* fire deaths
* industrial deaths
* road traffic deaths
* peri/ post operative deaths

Question 7

Pathology- Autopsy

Answer 7

When do forensic pathologists do autopsies?
only when there is a crime involved, e.g.:
* coronial autopsy
* homicide
* death in custody
* neglect

Question 8

Pathology- Autopsy

What are the reasons for requesting an autopsy?

Answer 8

when the death is presumed natural, presumed iatrogenic or presumed unnatural

Question 9

Pathology- Autopsy

What types of death are presumed natural?

Answer 9

• when the cause of death is unknown
• When the patient had not been seen by the doctor in the last illness

Question 10

Pathology- Autopsy

What types of death are presumed iatrogenic?

Answer 10

• peri/post operative deaths
• anaesthetic deaths
• abortion
• complications of therapy

Question 11

Pathology- Autopsy

What types of death are presumed unnatural?

Answer 11

• accidents
• industrial death
• suicide
• unlawful killing
• neglect
• custody deaths
• war/ industrial pensions

Question 12

Pathology- Autopsy

Who makes referrals to the coroner for autopsies?

Answer 12

• doctors
• Registrar of births, deaths and marriages
• relatives
• police
• anatomical pathology technicians
• other properly interested parties

Question 13

Pathology- Autopsy

Who has a legal duty to refer deaths to the coroner?

Answer 13

the registrar of births, deaths and marriages

Question 14

Pathology- Autopsy

what duty do doctors have in terms of referring deaths to the coroner?

Answer 14

they have no required duty to refer, however there is a GMC duty and common law duty

Question 15

Pathology- Autopsy

what are the fundemental aspects of an autopsy (in order)

Answer 15

1. History/ scene
2. external examination
3. evisceration
4. internal examination
5. reconstruction

Question 16

Pathology- Autopsy

what does an external examination involve?

Answer 16

• identification (gender, age, clothing, jewellery, etc.)
• disease and treatment
• injuries

Question 17

Pathology- Autopsy

what does evisceration involve?

Answer 17

• Y-shaped incision on chest
• open all body cavities
• examine all body organs in situ
• remove thoracic and abdominal organs
• remove brain

Question 18

Pathology- Autopsy

what does an internal examination involve?

Answer 18

• heart and great vessels
• lungs, trachea, bronchi
• liver, gall bladder, pancreas
• spleen, thymus and lymph nodes
• genitourinary tract
• endocrine organs
• central nervous system

Question 19

Pathology- Autopsy

what questions are being sought from an autopsy?

Answer 19

• who was the deceased?
• when did they die?
• where did they die?
• how did they come about their death?

Question 20

Pathology- Autopsy