limited to a specific cavity or region of the body during an autopsy
partial autopsy
full physical examination, tissue and fluid sampling, and removal of both cranial and visceral organs for examination
complete autopsy
complete autopsy inclusions (8)
- cranial cavity (brain, pituitary gland, inner ear structures)
- vitreous of the eye
- organs of the neck (thyroid, larynx, esophagus, trachea, cCa, tongue)
- thoracic cavity and contents
- abdominal cavity and contents
- pelvic cavity and contents
- testes of the scrotum
- spinal cord (may be examined from the dorsal, ventral, or cranial aspect of the body
drainage of the autopsy (2)
- material flows directly into the body cavities
2. use an autopsy aspirator to remove drainage while emblaming
outline of autopsy (12)
- disinfect, remove temp sutures and viscera, topically disinfect body cavity surfaces and cranial cavity
- shave, set features
- locate and place ligature on the 6 arteries being used for arterial fluid injection
- prep arterial solution
- complete sectional arterial injection
- supplemental treatments as necessary
- treat internal surfaces + viscera
- prep abdominal and thoracic cavities + neck areas
- suture cavities
- dry and treat cranial cavity
- suture cranial cavity
- wash and dry body, apply glue to incisions, use plastic garments as needed, complete autopsy report
process of surgically removing an organ or tissue from one person (donor) and placing it onto another person (recipient)
- donor may be living or deceased
- commonly transplanted organs include heart, lungs, liver, kidneys, pancreas, and intestines
- common transplanted tissue include eyes, blood vessels, cartilage, skin, bone, pericardium, and soft tissues
organ and tissue donation
organ donor characteristics (4)
- organ recovery often uses Y or U incisions
- each incision type and organ removal requires restoration of the cavities and control of any residual leakage
- delay between death and embalming usually requires a higher index fluid
- tracer dy may also be necessary
organ donor prep )4)
- begin by removing temp sutures
- document organs that have been removed in the embalming report
- long suture ties are placed on major vessels to benefit the embalmer
- some organs may remain intact
eye donation (2)
entire eye, cornea, or only sclera may be rmeoved
2. before any prep procedures, apply a thin layer of massager cream around the eyes and eyelids
eye donation procedure (11)
- remove materials from eye orbit with forceps
- saturate cotton with preservative gel and loosely fill the orbital cavity with it
- place eye cap over cotton
- complete arterial embalming
- remove eye cap and saturated cotton
- dry and cauterize orbital cavity
- embed trocar button into the base of the orbit
- place incision seal powder into base of orbit
- place eye cap over the compound or cotton
- close eyes and secure closure
- apply a moisturizing spray or cream around the eyes
skin donor characteristics (3)
- skin donation may be partial or split thickness or full thickness
- common sites include abdomen, back and thigh
- anywhere from very think layers of skin to both the dermal and adipose layers down to the muscle may be taken
skin donor prep
- place a plastic sheet with an absorbent pad in the middle of the table
- transfer decedent to table
- roll donor to one side and treat recovery site with phenol gel
- make sure absorbent pad is in contact with recovery sit
- complete arterial embalming
-higher index is recommended - roll donor, remove pad and plastic sheeting and check for under embalmed areas
- hypodermically treat as necessary
- apply preservative gel over the treated tissues
- once tissues are dry, drape plastic sheeting over table and place absorbent pad in the middle, transfer decedent to this table
- pull plastic sheeting up and around donor and secure with mortuary tape
11 dress donor in plastic garment completely covers donation area
