You walk into the prep room and see that dreadful Medical Examiner bag and sigh. "Another Post?!"

Is it a double or just a single?" "Did they keep the viscera?" "What do the arteries look like?" "Are the all hacked up?" "What about the carotids?" "Do I really have to cut the viscera this time?" All these questions that go through your head are not abnormal. I know very few embalmers that "can't wait" for the next post to role through their doors. However, with proper care and patience we can embrace these challenging cases. The key to embalming a posted body is patience. 

If I had to attach just one adjective to describe how I want my autopsied bodies to end up, I guess I would have to say "DRY".  I don't want any leaky bodies and with autopsied bodies, I am obviously particularly concerned. 

Before October 2005 I used to treat autopsied bodies one particular way, probably the same way you and most other embalmers treat these type of cases - Take the bag out, put cavity fluid in, embalm, stuff the bag back in and try my best to not poke the bag while suturing and hope nothing leaks out and if all goes well, the body will not look too disfigured, because of the viscera bag, and at the very best the odds of keeping the body leak free and pleasant looking was slightly better than a coin toss.  Little did I know that while at the NFDA Convention and Expo in Chicago, IL my way of embalming the autopsy was about to drastically and forever change.  

While working the Frigid Fluid Booth, up walked four Jamaican embalmers.  Their advice to me is what changed my ways forever and will be explained in the next 4 issues.  I challenge you to read with an open mind and look at embalming the autopsy with a fresh set of eyes like I did that great day in October 2005.

We want to always be thinking logically. Asking ourselves, "Does it make sense?" If it is logical and makes sense then it's probably the best and most efficient way to do it. If it's not logical then there's probably a better way.  In the next few issues, I hope to challenge your way of thinking.

Pre embalming Prep:

First tell yourself that this may take more time than the "straight case". Now let's get started. Gown-up and get all your PPE's (personal protective equipment) on. Do not forget about your eye protection. There are a million different ways to splash yourself it the prep room, you can easily double that number when embalming a post. Next, get the towels, equipment, fluid, products and all instruments out and ready to use. There is nothing worse than getting your gloves bloodied then going back into the drawers and cupboards to get something forgotten. Get a new garbage bag in the waste-bin; you'll need it for the body bag and misc. items. Carrying a fluid filled body bag half way across the prep room is not such a great idea, so bring the garbage bin right next to the table to easily and cleanly transfer the body bag from the table to the bag.  

Remove body from bag. It's easy if the body is rolled on its left side while the bag is tucked under the body, then removed by rolling the body on its right side. Do not make the mistake of pulling and yanking the bag to free it from under the body. Instead, roll the bag into itself starting from the foot end and ending at the head end. This will keep all fluids trapped inside of the bag and reduce the potential of splashing or spilling down the front of your lab coat and feet. From here you can empty any bodily fluids down the table

drain or biohazard waste container. You many now dispose of the body bag into the garbage or biohazard 

A couple of 5 gal. buckets with lids to treat viscera.

bag that was previously placed next to the prep table. Next, rinse the body off and spray a disinfectant on the body and table. Reposition the body properly on the table and remove any ligature from the post mortem examination. Remove the viscera bag from inside the thoracic and abdominal cavities. If you don't have a designated place to set the viscera, atop the embalming table between the legs will work. I prefer a large bucket or sink away from the table to avoid accidental spillage. Next, open the bag and incise the viscera paying special attention to intestines and stomach since gasses may be trapped inside. Uncap your cavity fluid that was previously ready to use and treat viscera with at least 32 oz. I personally use 48 oz. (3 pints). Tie off the bag, or cover viscer to keep fumes contained. Be certain to mix the cavity chemical well with the viscera to ensure adequate preservation. You may include the calvarium and breastplate to the viscera bag or they may be wrapped in Webril and treated with a chemical pack. Mix the arterial chemicals in the embalming machine and set rate of flow and pressure.  We will be injecting the Legs first, then the head second and lastly the arms.  If anyone knows why I use this order of injection send me an email.  If you are correct, you will be entered into a drawing for a $25 gas card.

In the next issue (part 2 of 4), I will explain my steps with arterial embalming, setting features, hypodermic and external treatments to tissue not treated arterially. If the steps explained so far don't seen to off base from what you do normally, don't worry it's about to get weird...  :-)