The Purpose Behind the Autopsy Procedure

An autopsy is a medical procedure that is performed to carry out a thorough examination of the body of a deceased person. This procedure is usually done to find out the cause and the way the person died. Autopsies are generally performed if a person's death is considered unnatural. We often hear the term autopsy, especially in criminal reporting. Find out more about what an autopsy is in the following article.

The purpose of autopsy

Autopsy or post-mortem procedures can be done throughout the body or only limited to one organ or one specific body area. In some cases, an autopsy can be performed without having to ask permission from the victim's heir. In other cases, the heirs and victims' families must know and approve the autopsy to be performed. In addition, there is also an autopsy process that can be done based on family requests In Indonesia, the post-mortem itself is divided into two based on its grand goals. First, clinical post-mortem which is an autopsy conducted to find out the disease or cause of death and to evaluate the results of health recovery efforts. Second, anatomical post-mortem which is an autopsy performed for the benefit of medical education.

Some Conditions That Need Autopsy

The following are some conditions that can require an autopsy:

• Death related to legal issues.
• Death occurs during the experimental or research treatment process.
• Death occurs suddenly during medical procedures such as dental procedures, surgery, or treatment processes.
• Death occurs not due to an unknown medical condition.
• Sudden death in infants.
• Unnatural death that is suspected to be a result of violence, suicide, or an overdose of drugs.
• Death due to accident.

Autopsy Procedure

The autopsy process consists of three stages, namely before, during and after. In general, the following autopsy process on the body:

• Before autopsy

All information regarding the deceased will be collected from various sources. Medical records, doctor's information and family information will be collected. In addition, an investigation was also conducted on the location of death and the environment in which the person died. If the death is related to legal matters, then the coroner and other authorities will be involved. In some cases, the family can provide limits to the extent of the autopsy.

• During autopsy

The autopsy procedure was first performed through an external examination or external body, including data and facts about the body such as height, weight will be collected for the identification process. External examination is also carried out to find special features that are useful to strengthen the identification process such as scars, tattoos, birthmarks, and other important findings such as cuts, bruises, or other injuries. In some autopsies, an examination of the internal organs of the body is required. Internal examination can be done only on certain organs or organs as a whole. Usually a small portion of tissue from each organ will be examined to test for possible influence of drugs, infections, and evaluate the chemical or genetic composition. At the end of the autopsy examination, organs can be returned according to their location or taken for the benefit of donations, education or research. After that, the incision is also sewn back. If deemed necessary, further tests may be carried out such as genetic and toxicological examination or examination of the presence of toxic substances.

• After the autopsy

A report will be filled with findings obtained during the autopsy. This report can contain the cause of death of the victim who might answer the questions of the victim's family and law enforcement. The post-mortem care before, during and after the autopsy will be carried out in accordance with the religion and belief of each victim.

An autopsy basically has no risk. However, by doing an autopsy, things can be found that may bring new information such as the discovery of tumors that were never known. Talk with the medical authorities and authorities to ensure the autopsy process is carried out correctly.