The autopsy Flashcards
what is a coroner?
an independent judicial officer of the crown who has a statutory duty to investigate the circumstance of certain categories of death for the protection of the public
what cases must be reported to the coroner?
- cause of death is unknown
- deceased has not been seen by the doctor after death/within 1 days before death
- death was violent/unnatural/suspicious
- death may be due to an accident - whenever it occurred
- death may be due to neglect
- death may be due to industrial disease/employment
- death may be due to abortion
- death occurred during an operation/during recovery from anaesthetic
- death due to suicide
- death occurred during/shortly after police custody
- death may be related to poisoning
what is a coroners autopsy?
- conducted to establish cause of death
- once coroner has the cause his job is over
what kind of consent is needed for a coroners autopsy?
- no consent of next of kin needed
- material can only be taken if it bears upon the cause of death
what is a hospital autopsy?
- allows a thorough examination of the deceased - the extent of the disease, their treatment and effects
- allows discrepancies between stated cause and actual cause of death to be discovered
- used to monitor effectiveness of new treatments
- used for research
what kind of consent is needed for a hospital autopsy?
- consent from next of kin
- with consent any material can be taken
what is a death certification?
- filled in for any death
- taken to registrar by family
- checked before registration of death is possible
give examples of natural causes of sudden unexpected death in the community
- CVD
- hypertensive heart disease
- ruptured aortic aneurysm
- non-traumatic subarachnoid haemorrhage
- pulmonary embolus
- asthma
- pancreatitis
- drugs
- alcohol
- trauma
what is a bruise/contusion?
- blunt trauma injury
- occurs where skin is lax
- collection of blood which has leaked from damaged small arteries, venules and veins but not capillaries
what is an abrasion?
- graze or scratch
- surface skin removed
- most superficial of blunt trauma injuries
what is a laceration?
- split to the skin due to blunt force trauma
- usually passes through the full thickness of the skin
- deep and will bleed
- margins are ragged
common where skin can be compressed between the force and underlying bone (e.g. scalp, elbow) - rare over soft, fleshy areas
what is a cut?
- length of injury > depth of injury
what is a stab?
- depth of wound > width of wound
what are cut and stab wounds?
- caused by an object with a sharp/cutting edge
- edges are clean and margins are clear
- minimal injury to surrounding tissues
