Post-Mortem Flashcards
What are the possible medical reasons for performing a post mortem?
Confirm a diagnosis or its extent to audit medical care
Reveal a diagnosis or explain unexplainable findings
Investigate possible failings in surgery or other medical care
What are the possible legal reasons for performing a post mortem?
investigate a potentially criminal violent death, accidental deaths, unexplained deaths, occupation related deaths, suicide and deaths in custody
A hospital post mortem requires consent from the family. T/F?
True
A legal post mortem requires consent from the family. T/F?
False - it is ordered by the procurator fiscal
What is the equivalent of the procurator fiscal in England and Wales?
Coroner
Outline the basic steps in conducting a post mortem.
Look at past medical history and summary of clinical events and treatment from patient notes
Conduct an external examination looking at general appearance, external disease and treatment
Conduct an internal examination of the body cavities and systems and then of each organ in turn
Describe the external examination which occurs as part of a post mortem
Identification of decreased
Note height/weight/BMI
Note skin/hair/eye colour
Assess iatrogenic defects such as scars/drain/IV lines
Look for evidence of trauma
Look for external stigmata of disease such as jaundice, cyanosis, finger clubbing
Describe the internal examination which occurs as part of a post mortem
Carrie bout by single incision from sternal notch to symphysis pubis to remove the thoracic, abdominal and pelvic organs
Second incision is made around the posterior part of the skull and reflected, then open to remove the brain
Inspection of organs and dissection for macroscopic assessment
Small amount of tissue retained for microscopic assessment
Who, in a post mortem, would normally perform evisceration?
Anatomical pathology technicians
In cases of a legal post mortem, who is the post mortem report sent to?
Procurator fiscal
In cases of a medical post mortem, who is the post mortem report sent to?
Patient’s GP
Clinician in charge of the patient’s care
On the MCCD the last cause of death listed in section 1 is taken as the cause of death for the death certificate. T/F?
True
Why is it important to write about any other significant conditions including alcohol/drug use, obesity or smoking in section 2 of the MCCD?
These statistics are used to inform what conditions/factors contribute most to deaths and thus which area should receive most focus and funding
How can a MI cause death?
Arrythmia
Acute left ventricular failure
Cardiac rupture through weakened necrotic muscle
What is an embolism?
A mass of material that can move through the vascular system and is capable of blocking the lumen
