What is a post-mortem?
A post-mortem examination is an examination done after a person has died, to try and work out why they died.
A post-mortem may be done for three main reasons:
- If it is not clear why the person died
- If there are suspicious circumstances surrounding the death or a possible crime has been committed
- Rarely, a post-mortem may be performed even if the cause of death is known, in order to learn more about the disease. This type of post-mortem is only done if the next of kin give consent or the patient gave consent before their death.
Who carries out post-mortems?
Post-mortems are conducted by pathologists, who are doctors that specialise in diagnosing disease in tissue samples, and at post mortems. If there is concern about a crime then a forensic pathologist will do the post-mortem.
What happens during a post-mortem?
The post-mortem will be conducted as soon as possible after the persons death. During a post-mortem, the pathologist will first read the patient’s notes to understand the patient’s medical history. They will then examine the body to look for any external signs of disease or injuries.
The person’s body is opened to remove the organs which are then examined to look for any signs of disease. After being examined the organs are returned to the body. Occasionally, a small amount of tissue may need to be taken to the hospital laboratory to be examined in more detail under the microscope. Tissue is never kept without permission.
What happens after a post-mortem?
The findings from a post-mortem can be very helpful for relatives to understand why the person died. Families are allowed to view the person after the post-mortem has been completed.
If you have questions about the post-mortem process you could speak to the hospital bereavement team or the patient’s GP.
