Is Skull-opening (Brain Autopsy) a necessary procedure for all autopsies regardless how the deceased die?

Question

I have watched many live autopsy clips on the web, and all of them involved Skull-opening...just wonder, let's say, if a person was found dead with a apparent gunshot wound to the heart, is it still necessary to open his skull and take the brain out for further inspection?

Answer 1

This answer may sound redundant, but it is a little different because I do not think the correct answer has been given yet...

An autopsy is not performed when the cause of death is apparent and expected in advance (like AIDS or cancer).

One is performed when the death has not been suspected (injuries, poisonings, etc.) However, some injuries and sudden deaths can be overlooked becase the family may dismiss cause for one. That is also dependant on the observation of the doctor who called the time of death (a death so obvious in cause, motive, and reason that it would not require further investigation). Of course if the observation is questionable, then the family can be overrulled.

Most autopsies do not include a cranial investigation because it would be meaningless and a waste of time. That is of course unless the autopsy is being monitored for training purposes, in which case it is up to the examiner to define need.

Answer 2

Autopsies in general take place for a handful of reasons. First, as was mentioned above, if there are legal questions surrounding the death, the medical examiner can take possession of the remains and do as he/she sees fit. Secondly, they may help clarify some of the questions surrounding a loved one's death. Many of us have been in the hospital when it seems as though the person we care about is recovering or getting better, but then they die suddenly. Nothing compares to an autopsy for finding out what went wrong. Finally, autopsies help physicians and hospitals improve what they do. They work hard for a long time to help someone be healthy. If that person dies, there's no better way to learn what they did right or wrong than with a final, comprehensive autopsy.

That being said, if someone is shot in the heart, a well-conducted, comprehensive autopsy looks at all of the major organ systems. Really, that's the ultimate idea of all autopsies; you want to discover things you didn't previously know. Perhaps the bullet that went into their chest didn't actually kill them. Perhaps it was a bullet from a different angle that went into their ear but nobody noticed before.

Creepy hobby though... watching autopsy videos on the internet.

Peace!

Mike

Answer 3

I am a funeral director and of all the autopsies I have embalmed, only a small handful did not have a cranial autopsy, almst every one had been a cranial as well. The cranial autopsy is standard with almost every single autopsy anymore. Even if it is apparant that they died from a gunshot to the heart, they still always open up the head and dissect the brain for any abnormalities or hemorrhages. Hope this helps, take care!

Answer 4

Autopsies don't happen much any more... (from Wikipedia:)

In most Western countries the number of autopsies performed in hospitals has been decreasing every year since 1955....

When a person has given permission in advance of their death, autopsies may also be carried out for the purposes of teaching or medical research.

An autopsy is frequently performed in cases of sudden death, where a doctor is not able to write a death certificate, or when death is believed to be due to an unnatural cause. These examinations are performed under a legal authority (Medical Examiner or Coroner) and do not require the consent of relatives of the deceased. The most extreme example is the examination of murder victims, especially when medical examiners are looking for signs of death or the murder method, such as bullet wounds and exit points, signs of strangulation, or traces of poison.

Answer 5

countless issues in our society are grotesque to observe, yet nevertheless needed-- open coronary heart surgical technique, innovations surgical technique, liver transplant, kidney transplant, etc. Why could the pathologist have remorseful approximately? The pathologist is doing good artwork-- some families could desire to be responsive to why (what ailment) their kin member died. in lots of if no longer maximum homicide prosecutions, the clarification for dying desires to be primary. In equity to pathologists, after the post-mortem is complete, the incisions are smartly sewn up and countless the bodies can pass directly to have an open casket funeral provider.

Answer 6

No. Only in certain cases is it necessary.