Are night postmortems carried out in your area?
Is it really necessary to make night postmortem compulsory by law?
What are the difficulties in doing night postmortem?
Is there any scientific/social/security basis for doing night postmortem?
Should we oppose any rule to compulsorily do night postmortem?
as GO of Karnataka, we are doing night post Morten examination ,adequate staff required,
night postmortems carried out in your area-yes,
adequate light is required for night postmortems
After examining the body at the death scene and issuing a preliminary death scene report, it is better to perform PM exam in the day light, unless the case is of ultimate security importance as terrorism or urgent events like disasters. In some cases, early sampling is of great value that can be missed if postponed till the next day or after the weekend. Also; freezing and de_freezing the body has really bad consequences on the body especially when finding the body in early putrefactive stage.
In Slovakia, we do prerform rutinously forensic autopsies at night, if we have such request from a police or prosecutor's office. Usually, all these post mortems are homicides or suspected homicides.
Well,in Nigeria there is no law to this effect.Autopsy could be done at anytime but mostly in the morning it is done in most centers. However, my nation with diverse tribe and religion(christains and moslems) at times there may be an urgent need that autopsy MUST have to be done before interment according to islamic injunction. At that time, it really doesnt matter the time of the day since we are on call;that has to be done.Moreso, where i trained as forensic expert, it is a norm to do autopsy anytime of the day. I sincerely think, time of the day should not be fixed for such an essential investigative aspect of medicine. Also i cant adjudicate it to be placed under law.
In Denmark we do exactly as Peter Kovac describes in Slovakia. Neither the police nor we like to spend the night in the autopsy room, but if an autopsy is necessary to dístinguish homicide from another manner of death - and therefore crucial for the investigation - we do it at all times of day and night. This is the only reason for doing it, however, an obvious homicide with a known perpetrator can wait till the morning.
Day light is the best source of light for post-mortem examination, but now a days, very good artificial light is available, so night postmortems should not be a problem. Night post-mortems are not done in my state telangana. Any post-mortem whether in day or night, which is done as early as possible after death is always better. because any delay in condcution of PME, there is loss of valuable evidence. unless the police gives the inquest we cannot conduct the PME, in my opinion basically there will be lot of administrative problems with night PME.
in sri lanka sometimes we do night postmortems only in suicides and natural deaths. accidents and homicides we do in day time only. In homicides and accidents we can convince relation for doing the postmortem next day. but when there is no legal action, relations want the body very soon , in the same night.
Kumar Sir is there any need for convincing the relatives for doing post mortem in day light.
How can we say that the particular case is of suicide or natural before proceeding for post mortem in night. Is it not risky to do such bodies in nights when it can be easily done in day. Why we treat postmortem as an emergency? Why we think it should be done quickly. When the same relatives then allege us afterwards for any lapses if happened in such scenario.
Just a food for thought...
Dear Tumram,
Night postmortems are not necessary. However there may be circumstances that law enforcement authorities may require the results as early as possible. In our area where the police or other security agencies become victims Night P M is done to avoid deterioration in law and order situation . In some cases the diseased has to be carried to ancestral place for disposal. So our KPK Assembly has given the ruling for such cases. Otherwise there are many problems in Night PM examinations.
Thanks.
sometime we do night postmortems in sri lanka for non criminal cases. Murder cases are not done at night. Main practical problem is the transport of staff from homes to hospital and back to homes.
Dear All,
I have answered that unless it is Emergency or the Dead body is to be taken to the place of burial situated in far flung area, or there is any reason of security, So the Autopsy is performed. However Night Autopsy should be resisted except for the valid reasons.
Night autopsy is never a routine in my place despite people been on calls. However,for religious reasons example on hospital based autopsy of a moslem who might have died at night and the clinicians made a request with family ie consent such could be done as to allow them take body for burial early hours of the next day. Mark you this is hospital based autopsy and never medico-legal autopsy which must be done in the day with all and sundry being present. Moreover,is never a good practice to do such a detail procedure in the night;more so if there are challenges in infrastructure in some developing nation with unsteady electricity and cooling chambers as one thing leads to the other.
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