What is the meaning of Autopsy? Concept and Definition of Autopsy

Definition of autopsy

Concepto de Autopsia

1. Concept of autopsy

A necrocirugia, also known as post-mortem, obduccion or autopsy, examination is a medical procedure that employs the dissection, in order to obtain anatomical information about the cause, nature, extent and complications of the disease who suffered in life the subject and which allows to formulate a final or definitive medical diagnosis to give an explanation of doubtful clinical observations and evaluate a given treatment. It is usually carried out by a specialist doctor called a pathologist.The term derives from the Greek, αὐτός/cars / 'self' autopsy and ὂψις/opsis / 'observe', therefore means 'see for yourself'. Necropsy, because of this the term autopsy has today been replaced by necrocirugia, which means surgery practiced a corpse. The term autopsy remains valid as long as it involves the examiner to see by their own eyes the causes of death.

Importance of autopsy

• The development of new diagnostic procedures with increasingly sophisticated technologies have led to a substantial improvement in the clinical diagnosis, but in spite of these new technologies, autopsy remains the most reliable instrument for medical diagnosis, since 25% of cause of death diagnoses are wrong.
• Helps correct about one third of all death certificates, since they are incorrect.
• Recent studies found that 32% of most of all diagnoses made in hospitals primary are wrong, and they are then confirmed by the autopsy.

Types of autopsy

There are two types of autopsies:
• Forensic autopsy: it is performed for medico-legal reasons, and is that is normally spoken on television or in the news. In Spain, done by physicians specializing in Legal and forensic medicine. It is requested by the judge before any suspicious death of criminality and it can not be rejected by the familiares.7
• Autopsy Clinic: it is usually performed to determine not only the cause of death, which in many cases is known, but all pathological processes affecting the individual. It has study and research purposes. In Spain, it is carried out by physicians specializing in pathology. It is requested by the physicians who treated the patient and must be authorized by the family.
Two great researchers in medicine of 19th-century, Rudolf Virchow and Carl von Rokitansky, who conducted 30,000 autopsies, worked on the basis of the Renaissance legacy to forge the two distinct autopsy techniques that still bear their names. His demonstration of the relationship between pathological conditions in dead bodies and symptoms and diseases in living beings opened the way for a different way of thinking about diseases and their treatments.

2. Definition of autopsy

What an autopsy?

An autopsy is an examination of the body of a person who has died. The autopsy aims to answer questions about the illness of the person or the cause of death. In addition, autopsies provide valuable information that helps the doctors to save the lives of others. Autopsies are performed by specially trained physicians called pathologists.

Who can request an autopsy?

You can request an autopsy if you are the nearest person or a person with legal authority. Your doctor will ask you to sign a consent form to give permission for an autopsy. You can limit the autopsy in any way you want. If the cause of death is not clear, the pathologist can perform an autopsy without the permission of the family.

What is the procedure to perform an autopsy?

First, the pathologist examines the body to search for clues to the cause of death. Then, the examines the internal organs taking samples as needed to see under the microscope. The autopsy takes between two (2) and four (4) hours. The autopsy room looks like a surgery room. An atmosphere of respect and dignity is maintained at all times.

How much cost an autopsy?

Since the autopsies will help doctors to learn more about diseases and to find ways to improve health care, autopsies usually are carried out free of charge.
Could an autopsy interfere with funeral arrangements?
Lol Pathologists performed the autopsies so they do not interfere with the funeral or cremation. Once the autopsy has been completed, the hospital notified the funeral home. An autopsy will not take the funeral services.

When will you know the results of an autopsy?

The first findings of an autopsy are usually ready in two (2) or three (3) days. Your doctor can check these findings with you. A final report may take many weeks for detailed studies carried out in tissue samples. The doctor will also review the final report with you.

3 Meaning of autopsy

An autopsy is a medical study that makes a person or animal once he dies, it is intended to determine what were the causes of the death of the patient in the study. In terms of forensic, forensic autopsy is a primary tool, thanks to this you can determine what was the "Modus Operandi" in the event it is a murder or a death with many tracks and nothing clear at the same time. Performs the autopsy a "Forensic" highly qualified medical personnel which apply different mechanisms study in which first and foremost is the observation and dissection.
Dissection is to open the body with forensic tools to determine more closely as it was the process of death on the corpse, an example: the body presents a bullet impact on the right side, carried out with an angle specified, which spanned the ribs and subsequently attacked the periphery of the right lung, thus can be due to a failure of the respiratory system of the personIt was death. Also known as autopsy, autopsy shows us in its etymology ("cars" which means self or "Body" and "Opsis" to "Observe") gives us to understand that it is an observational study basically. The Greeks were the first to document a study of corpses in history. There are primarily two types of autopsy, the first is the forensic, as explained earlier, it is carried out in order to become a crime scene as it was the death of a victim.
The second most important academic level first is clinical autopsy, it is performed at major university hospitals, in these is studied in depth the death of a patient with an illness, these elaborate autopsies, divided by full body in each party possibly affected by a bacteria or evil and study them carefullyEmphasizing reactions which took the patient to drugs that were administered to him or the treatments they received both physical and chemical. These studies are important for the evolution of medicine in the world.