The pathologist first looks at the body, noting its appearance. Photographs and x-rays may be taken. The pathologist makes a cut on the body from the collarbone to the lower abdomen to examine the chest and abdominal organs.
The principal aims of an autopsy are to determine the cause of death, mode of death, manner of death, the state of health of the person before he or she died, and whether any medical diagnosis and treatment before death were appropriate.
The incision is very deep, extending to the rib cage on the chest, and completely through the abdominal wall below that. The skin from this cut is peeled back, with the top flap pulled over the face.
The eye is removed for incidental disease—for example, primary ocular malignancy. The patient dies relatively young as a result of accident or disease, and when the eyes are removed at necropsy.
The most commonly employed skin incisions include the Y-shaped incision, the modified Y-shaped incision, and the I-shaped incision.
During the procedure, the deceased person's body is opened and the organs removed for examination. A diagnosis can sometimes be made by looking at the organs. Some organs need to be examined in close detail during a post-mortem.
The immediate seconds and minutes after death
Muscles including sphincters relax which means dying people may defecate or urinate.
A complete autopsy requires the removal of the skull using a skull saw, and subsequent removal of the brain.
If a complete internal examination is called for, the pathologist removes and dissects the chest, abdominal and pelvic organs, and (if necessary) the brain.
After demise, pupils are usually mid- dilated (a.k.a. 'cadaveric position'), and in some cases they can be slightly dilated, because of the relaxation of the iris muscles and later they can become slightly constricted with the onset of rigor mortis of the constrictor muscles.
Organs that have been retained for further testing are returned to the family, disposed of by the hospital or kept for future medical research and training of medical staff, according to the family's wishes.
If they are getting an autopsy- it is no problem getting blood - unless due to trauma they have exsanguinated.
However, if a clinical autopsy is requested, the service incurs a fee. The fee ranges in price from around $800 to upwards of $7,000-$8,000 depending on the level of testing required. For example, a simple DNA test would usually be on the lower end of the coroner's fee scale.
One of the first things people traditionally do if someone dies is to tie the big toes of the dead body together. This is very important because it will tighten up the Muladhara in such a way that the body cannot be invaded by that life once again.
They are: to prevent fluid from draining out of the nose; respiration has stopped and air will enter the body thru the nasal openings and cause swelling; to prevent any germs from being released by decaying processes that may be taking place to the dead body; and lastly, to provide proper shape if necessary for viewing ...
Once a body is placed in a sealed casket, the gases from decomposing cannot escape anymore. As the pressure increases, the casket becomes like an overblown balloon. However, it's not going to explode like one. But it can spill out unpleasant fluids and gasses inside the casket.
But for one 29-year-old man in Spain, that fear became a reality when, having previously been pronounced dead, he somehow woke up on the autopsy table just as experts were about to open up his body to investigate. Gives you shivers.
After being examined, the organs are returned to the body. Material is never retained without explicit consent from the coroner or next of kin. The coroner might instruct the pathologist to perform further analysis on blood or a tissue sample; if this is the case the family will be informed.
The body is sewn back together after the autopsy is complete. Procedures vary regarding organ replacement. Dissected organs may be returned to the body or incinerated. If the organs are not returned to the body, the mortician will put filler in the body cavity to retain the body's shape.
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].
Of these, with obvious mortal damage to the body, the textbook conclusive signs of death clear to a lay person are: algor mortis, rigor mortis, livor mortis, and putrefaction.
For approximately the first 3 hours after death the body will be flaccid (soft) and warm. After about 3-8 hours is starts to stiffen, and from approximately 8-36 hours it will be stiff and cold. The body becomes stiff because of a range of chemical changes in the muscle fibres after death.
Putrefaction (4-10 days after death) – Autolysis occurs and gases (odor) and discoloration starts.
Livor mortis: Circulation of blood is a continuous process carried out by the pumping action of the heart in a living individual. However, once the person dies, the circulation comes to a halt, and the blood starts moving towards the dependant regions of the body due to gravity.