Clinical post mortem examinations (autopsies) are carried out to
determine the primary disease and possible secondary diseases (not
associated with the cause of death) of a patient in cases where this
had not been possible during his time of life and when the actual cause
of death is unknown. In about 90 per cent of all cases the cause of
death can be established during autopsy.
It is, however, much more diffucult to determine the precise cause of
death after long-term intensive care, when the patient’s live is often
terminated by prolongued shock.
Forensic post mortem examinations are fundamentally different to
clinical-pathological autopsies, they are not performed by
pathologists, but by forensic doctors.
|
