The sternal plate or anterior chest wall is cut away, to expose the organs underneath.
Major Organs. Organ removal—Using special techniques, the organs are cut and removed from the body. All organs (heart, lungs, liver, intestines, stomach, pancreas, kidneys, spleen, and pelvic organs) and the major arteries are examined individually. They are weighed, washed, and dissected as necessary.
A craniotomy is the surgical removal of part of the bone from the skull to expose the brain. Specialized tools are used to remove the section of bone called the bone flap. The bone flap is temporarily removed, then replaced after the brain surgery has been done.
The internal examination starts with a large, deep, Y-shaped incision that is made from shoulder to shoulder meeting at the breast bone and extending all the way down to the pubic bone [source: Britannica].
All organs removed for examination are weighed, and a section is preserved for processing into microscopic slides. A final report is made after all lab tests are complete. Autopsies may last 2 to 4 hours. The results of lab tests on samples of body fluids and tissues may take a few weeks to be returned.
It is also not forensic practice to remove the organ fully, but only the necessary sample to carry out the analysis required by law. Only those organs and tissues specifically extracted to be examined in detail as considered strictly necessary by the physician in obtaining certainty of death, will not be replaced.
Organs are examined carefully with the naked eye and dissected to look for any abnormalities such as blood clots or tumours. If further information is required, postage-stamp-sized pieces of tissue may be retained for examination under the microscope or samples of body fluids taken for analysis in the laboratory.
Autopsy cutting checklist
Separate the heart from the from lungs by cutting through the major vessels. The pulmonary artery should be cut first and the lumen inspected for any pulmonary embolism.
There are several ways of incising into the skin to expose the underlying structures. The most commonly employed skin incisions include the Y-shaped incision, the modified Y-shaped incision, and the I-shaped incision.
“I remove your tongue during an autopsy – we need to make sure you didn't bite down on it, make sure you don't have drugs in the back of your throat. “So if you have a tongue ring, that one comes out, but nipples, nose, ears, eyebrow, private parts...”
[1] The other changes in the eyes, in the immediate post-mortem phase, include loss of intraocular pressure and the clouding of the cornea. The intraocular pressure decreases drastically after death and reaches 4 mmHg or less within 6 hours after death.
The classifications are natural, accident, suicide, homicide, undetermined, and pending. Only medical examiner's and coroners may use all of the manners of death. Other certifiers must use natural or refer the death to the medical examiner.
During the surgical portion of embalming process, the blood is removed from the body through the veins and replaced with formaldehyde-based chemicals through the arteries. The embalming solution may also contain glutaraldehyde, methanol, ethanol, phenol, water, and dyes.
There is no single factor that will accurately indicate the time of physiological death. It is always a best guess. But when the principles are properly applied, the medical examiner can often estimate the physiologic time of death with some degree of accuracy.
Where an inquest is to be held, the Coroner is usually able to allow burial or cremation once the postmortem examination of the body has been completed.
Throughout the autopsy, the pathologist records everything on a body diagram and in recorded verbal notes. If a complete internal examination is called for, the pathologist removes and dissects the chest, abdominal and pelvic organs, and (if necessary) the brain.
Is sudden cardiac death painful? Some people have chest pain during the initial seconds of sudden cardiac arrest. However, once you lose consciousness, you don't feel pain.
During an autopsy, most blood is drained from the decedent. This is not on purpose, but a result of gravity. Later a mortician may or may not embalm, depending on the wishes of the family.
Do they remove organs when you are embalmed? One of the most common questions people have about embalming is whether or not organs are removed. The answer is no; all of the organs remain in the body during the embalming process.
Purge fluid is decomposition fluid that may exude from the oral and nasal passages as well as other body cavities (see the image below). Postmortem purge fluid exudes from the oral and nasal passages; no traumatic injuries were uncovered at autopsy.
Organs like the heart and lungs give only 4 to 6 hours for the process. The next section will tell you how organs are transported from one state or city to another.
Organs are usually transplanted because the recipient's original organs are damaged and cannot function. The brain is the only organ in the human body that cannot be transplanted.
Not all organs and tissue types are suitable for transplant. Organs that can be transplanted are the heart, kidneys, liver, lungs, pancreas and intestines. The skin, bone tissue (including tendons and cartilage), eye tissue, heart valves and blood vessels are transplantable forms of tissue.
Since body heat production ceases soon after death but loss of heat continues, the body cools. After death, as during life, the human body loses heat by radiation, convection and evaporation. The fall in body temperature after death is mainly the result of radiation and convection.