Post-mortem

A post-mortem is the examination of a body after death. It is also known as an autopsy.

Post-mortems are carried out by pathologists (doctors specialising in medical diagnosis), who aim to identify the cause of death.

Why they are carried out

Post-mortems are carried out in either of the following situations:

• If the death has been referred to a coroner, who feels that a post-mortem is necessary to determine the cause of death (for example, because the death was sudden and unexpected). A coroner is a judicial officer (a lawyer or doctor) responsible for investigating deaths.
• At the request of a hospital, to provide information about an illness or cause of death, and to further medical research.

It is estimated that the cause of death can be wrong in up to a third of cases where a post-mortem is not carried out. However, a post-mortem cannot always provide a reason for death.

Post-mortems also play an instrumental role in medical research because they can provide information about illness and health that would not be uncovered in any other way. In fact, much of modern medical knowledge would not have been discovered without the use of post-mortems.

For more information, see Why it is done.

Consent

If a post-mortem is ordered by a coroner, it must take place by law, whether or not the next of kin gives agreement.

If a post-mortem is requested by a hospital, the hospital must obtain written consent from the deceased's next of kin or nominated representative. Relatives or partners of the deceased can also request that the hospital carry out a post-mortem to learn more about why their partner or relative died.

As part of a post-mortem carried out by a hospital, the pathologist may wish to take samples of human tissue or remove organs for further study and research. This can only be done if the next of kin gives consent.

For more information on obtaining consent and what happens during the examination, see How it is performed.