Fixation and transport of autopsy material

Abstract

Several factors inherent in autopsy pathology conspire to prevent or diminish good tissue preservation. There is the delay in starting the dissection, which may be hoursto several days in duration. In many instances, the body will remain unrefridgerated on the clinical floor during part of that delay. Autolysis is further hastened in obese patients because of decreased dissipation of body heat. Second, the autopsy procedure takes several hours and is often conducted under bright lights, providing a setting for continued autolysis. Third, the large amount of blood accompanying the organs can significantly reduce the efficacy of fixatives and finally, adequate fixation, using a fixative-to-tissue ratio as low as 5-10 to 1 still requires large containers and prohibitively large quantities of fixative. © 2009 Humana Press.