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Difference between revisions of "Autopsy"
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===Who has authority?=== | ===Who has authority?=== | ||
*Consent should be given by the '' | *Consent should be given by the ''executor of the estate''.<ref name=olduhnconsent>URL: [http://www.docstoc.com/docs/51609856/CONSENT-FOR-AUTOPSY http://www.docstoc.com/docs/51609856/CONSENT-FOR-AUTOPSY]. Accessed on: 27 September 2010.</ref> | ||
====Hierarchy==== | ====Hierarchy==== | ||
If the '' | If the ''executor of the estate'' is not specified the hierarchy is as follows:<ref name=olduhnconsent/> | ||
#Spouse - by marriage (same sex ''or'' opposite sex) ''or'' by common-law ''or'' by together the parents of a child ''or'' by cohabitation agreement (in law). | #Spouse - by marriage (same sex ''or'' opposite sex) ''or'' by common-law ''or'' by together the parents of a child ''or'' by cohabitation agreement (in law). | ||
#If no spouse, any children 16+ years old, | #If no spouse, any children 16+ years old, | ||
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Notes: | Notes: | ||
*Exact hierarchy may vary by jurisdiction. | *Exact hierarchy may vary by jurisdiction. | ||
*The power a person that is designated as ''power of attorney for health care decisions'' does not have the authority to consent for an autopsy; their power ends with death (unless they are also the '' | *The power a person that is designated as ''power of attorney for health care decisions'' does not have the authority to consent for an autopsy; their power ends with death (unless they are also the ''executor of the estate''). | ||
*In clinical medicine, it is allowable to skip down the hierarchy if ''the'' "consent giver" is not reachable, e.g. if a child of the patient is present they can consent in emergency circumstances, if the spouse is ''not'' reachable. In the context of (non-corner's) autopsies, '''the hierarchy has to be followed strictly''', as there is no such thing as an "emergency autopsy"; it is ''not'' acceptable to ask the child of the decedent 'cause they aren't distraught like the spouse of the decedent. | *In clinical medicine, it is allowable to skip down the hierarchy if ''the'' "consent giver" is not reachable, e.g. if a child of the patient is present they can consent in emergency circumstances, if the spouse is ''not'' reachable. In the context of (non-corner's) autopsies, '''the hierarchy has to be followed strictly''', as there is no such thing as an "emergency autopsy"; it is ''not'' acceptable to ask the child of the decedent 'cause they aren't distraught like the spouse of the decedent. | ||
*In non-corner's cases/non-medical examiner's cases, a physician ''cannot'' give consent for an autopsy. | *In non-corner's cases/non-medical examiner's cases, a physician ''cannot'' give consent for an autopsy. | ||
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*Y-shaped incision (standard): | *Y-shaped incision (standard): | ||
**Superior "points" of the Y ~ at the deltoid muscle. | **Superior "points" of the Y ~ at the deltoid muscle. | ||
**" | **"Confluence of lines" in the Y ~ inferior to the suprasternal notch. | ||
*Neck dissection incisions: | *Neck dissection incisions: | ||
**Deltoid to mastoid process. | **Deltoid to mastoid process. | ||
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Notes: | Notes: | ||
*The | *The sternum may have cleft or foramen - as an anatomical variant.<ref name=pmid10803333>{{cite journal |author=Fokin AA |title=Cleft sternum and sternal foramen |journal=Chest Surg. Clin. N. Am. |volume=10 |issue=2 |pages=261–76 |year=2000 |month=May |pmid=10803333 |doi= |url=}}</ref> | ||
*If the decedent has a history of a [[CABG]] removal of the chest plate should be done with care to preserve the grafts. | *If the decedent has a history of a [[CABG]] removal of the chest plate should be done with care to preserve the grafts. | ||
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**Capsule of the spleen is white - resembles sugar-coating. | **Capsule of the spleen is white - resembles sugar-coating. | ||
**Importance: ''none'' - benign. | **Importance: ''none'' - benign. | ||
*Splenomegaly secondary to [[portal hypertension]]. | *[[Splenomegaly]] secondary to [[portal hypertension]]. | ||
===Kidney=== | ===Kidney=== | ||