U1 LEC: POSTMORTEM EXAMINATION Flashcards
“We must turn to nature itself to the observations of the body in health and disease, to learn the truth”
Hippocrates
Autopsy can be categorized by five different rulings for manner of death:
- natural
- accident
- homicide
- suicide
- undetermined
T/F: A medical examiner can order an autopsy without consent from next of kin.
True
First recorded autopsy
Antistius examines Julius Caesar’s body
T/F: One wound to the chest led to rutpure of Caesar’s aorta.
True
1806 painting by Vincenzo Camuccini
La mort de Cesar / The Death of Julius Caesar
This is an instruction manual on how to conduct medico-legal investigations, examine corpses, and determine the time and cause of death.
Hsi Yuan Lu / The Washing Away of Wrongs
Hsi Yuan Lu (The Washing Away of Wrongs) was written by?
1247 Song Ci
Forensic issues mentioned in Hsi Yuan Lu
- poisoning
- decomposition
- wounds from various weapons
- strangulation
- fake wounds
Who conducted the first known legal autopsy with the use of human eye, in which was requested by the magistrate in Bologna?
Bartolomeo de Varignana (1302)
During the renaissance period, autopsies were watched in an operating theater and cadaver is opened by a?
lay dissector
They performed a number of autopsies and observing anatomy unseen by the naked eye.
Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo
Father of Modern Pathology
Rudolf Ludwig Karl Virchow
Virchow characterized a case of?
leukemia
PME is performed
wherever __________ is practiced
scientific medicine of high quality
PME is performed
when a _________ knows why he lost a patient
conscientious physician
PME is performed
when ______ is enforced
criminal law
PME is performed
when a ___________ shows accurately the causes of death and confirmed medical diagnosis for the assembling of vital statistics
death certificate
PME is performed
whenever there is _______ on causes and nature of diseases, and transplantation medicine
medical research
PME is performed
A _______ requires PME in human death for the good of medical science, for the public’s health and for the future care of living patient
informed society
Preparations before the Postmortem Examination
- Administrative preparations
- Preparation of the autopsy room
- Confirmation of the decedent identity
Preparations before PME
under Administrative preparations
- Obtain and confirm consent
- Obtain and review clinical records
- Contact clinical team and staff pathologist
Preparations before PME
under Preparation of the autopsy room
- Set up dissection instruments and tools
- Lay out swabs, media, etc. for any ancillary studies to be performed
- Prepare photographic equipment
- Assemble PPE
Preparations before PME
under Conformation of decedent identity
- most important step
- Identifiers on the body must be confirmed and matched with autopsy consent form
- Confirm any limitations or restrictions to the autopsy at this time
Documents for autopsy
- Written consent from the next of kin (abide by restrictions or extent allowed)
- Death certificate
- Medical abstract / clinical data
- Medicolegal clearance
Order of consent for autopsy
- Spouse
- Adult children
- Adult grandchildren
- Parent
- Siblings
T/F: If autopsy is not required by law, it cannot be done until the next of kin gives permission.
True
PME in which all body cavities are examined, including the head/brain.
Complete
PME in which may exclude examination of the head/brain.
Limited (Partial)
PME in which specific organs only are examined.
Selective
Autopsy without consent can be done under the following conditions:
- ordered by police or coroner
- necessary to complete death certificate
- deceased gave consent before he died (Advance directive)
- deceased military service who dies in active duty/training in military service
Autopsies are usually carried out within?
48 hours after death
Autopsies can be?
hospital-based or coronial
These are autopsies ordered by the state coroner.
Coronial autopsies
These are autopsies to be performed at the request of the family of the deceased.
Hospital based autopsies
Criteria for Autopsy (College of American Pathologists)
- Help explain unknown and unanticipated medical complications
- Cause of death/major diagnosis is not known with reasonable certainty
- Help to allay concerns of family or to the public regarding death, provide reassurance to them
- Unexpected deaths occuring during any dental, medical, or surgical diagnostic procedures
- Death of those who participated in clinical trials
- Natural unexplained deaths and not subject to forensic medical jurisdication
- Natural deaths, waived by forensic medical jurisdiction
- Deaths resulting from contagious diseases
- All obstetric deaths
- All perinatal, and pediatric deaths
- Deaths at any age for suspected illness or bearing on recipients of transplant organs
- Deaths from environmental hazard
CAP Criteria
- Deaths in which autopsy may help to explain _____________ to the attending physician
unknown and unanticipated medical complications
CAP Criteria
- All deaths in which the cause of death or major diagnosis is ___________ on clinical grounds
not known with reasonable certainty
CAP Criteria
- Cases in which autopsy may help to _________ and or to the public regarding the death, and to provide reassurance to them regarding the same.
to allay concerns of the family
CAP Criteria
- Deaths of patients who have participated in _________ approved by institutional review boards.
clinical trials
CAP Criteria
- Unexpected or unexplained deaths which are apparently ______ and not subject to a _______.
natural, forensic medical jurisdiction
CAP Criteria
- Natural deaths but waived by a forensic medical jurisdiction, such as:
a. persons dead on arrival
b. deaths in hospitals within 24 hours of admission
c. patient sustained injury while hospitalized
CAP Criteria
- Deaths resulting from ________ diseases
high-risk infectious and contagious
CAP Criteria
- and 10. All ____ deaths
obstetric, perinatal, pediatric
CAP Criteria
- Deaths at any age in which is believed that autopsy would disclose a _______ which also have a bearing on survivors or recipients of _________.
known or suspected illness, transplant organs
CAP Criteria
- Deaths known to have resulted from __________ hazards
environmental or occupational
This refers to a person who has jurisdiction in medicolegal cases.
Medicolegal examiner or coroner
T/F: The coroner may authorize the pathologist to proceed with an autopsy.
True
Jurisidiction for Medicolegal cases
- All deaths within 24 hours of admission
- Newborns in the first 24 hrs of life
- All injury cases
- All deaths due to unknown cases
- All deaths due to suspicious cases
- All abortion cases
- All violent deaths
- All accidental deaths
- All sudden deaths
- All cases without medical attendance within 36 hours prior to death
- All deaths due to drowning, hanging, or strangulation
- All deaths due to shooting, stab wounds, burns, electricity, lightning, tetanus, etc.
- All homicides
- All suicides
- All cases in which there is suspicion of poisoning
- Stillborns
- Prematures
This refers to death of an organism or bodily death (brain dead).
Somatic death
This is the earliest definition of death of an organism.
Cessation of circulation and respiration (1960s)
Criteria for pronouncement of death
- Advanced in resuscitation techniques
- Advanced life-sustaining equipment
- Redefinition from cessation to irreversible cessation
- Brain death
Criteria for pronouncement of death
- Advances in _____ techniques that are capable of reviving effectively cases of clinical death.
resuscitation techniques
Criteria for pronouncement of death
- Advanced ___________ capable of maintaining cardiovascular and respiratory functions despite severe brain injury.
life-sustaining equipment