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Preliminary
- Everyone present wears protective clothes - scrubs, gowns, gloves, face shields etc porcelain or even marble tables. The autopsy table is basically a slanted tray (for drainage) with raised edges (to keep blood and fluids from flowing onto the floor).
- The diener take the body out of storage and lays it out on the autopsy table. The latter is waist-high and made of aluminum, with various taps and things to enable blood and other stuff to drain away. The body is washed thoroughly before the autopsy.
- After the body is positioned, the diener places a "body block" under the patient's back. This rubber or plastic brick-like appliance causes the chest to protrude outward and the arms and neck to fall back, thus allowing the maximum exposure of the trunk for the incisions.
- The prosector checks to make sure that the body is that of the patient named on the permit by checking the toe tag or patient wristband ID. Abnormalities of the external body surfaces are then noted and described, either by talking into a voice recorder or making notes on a diagram and/or checklist.
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Tools
- Dissecting knife or bread knife used constantly. Usually have a metal handle which contains several retractible 4 inch blades.
- Brain knife with 12 inch brain to make clean cuts through brain
- ·Scissors with long handles, short blades and rounded ends. Also sometimes another shorter pair with sharp ends.
- ·Saws for cutting through bone. Very sharp. A special electric saw is used to take skull cap off.
- Skull key. A T-shaped chisel for leverage when removing skull cap.
- Scalpels not often used
- Forceps with serated edge called "pick-ups". However, fingers are said to be more useful than forceps in autopsies.
- Chisels used with a mallet in bone work.
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