Department of Pathology

Autopsy

The Autopsy Service plays important roles in providing diagnostic information, quality control for clinical practice, and supporting educational and research services. Autopsies determine not only the cause of death, but also undiagnosed or misdiagnosed conditions. Despite the advances in medical technology, several studies have shown that up to 10% of autopsies discover unexpected findings. This feedback is important in improving the quality of care and educating practicing and resident physicians.

An autopsy benefits a family in that it can diagnose diseases/conditions that could affect other family members. In addition, autopsies support research into new methods of diagnosis and treatment and epidemiologic studies by providing accurate statistical information about causes of death and pathologic processes. The Autopsy service plays a major role in teaching Pathology and other residents, medical students, and students of other health care disciplines.

Unexpected and unattended deaths, deaths resulting from violence, and those occurring under suspicious circumstances are investigated by a medical examiner (forensic pathologist). In these instances, the autopsy is made to determine the time and circumstances of death and may provide forensic evidence for legal action.

The autopsy program at West Virginia includes forensic pathology cases. Our autopsy service handles about 325 cases annually including approximately 225 forensic cases from 32 Northern West Virginia counties and 100 hospital cases. We perform the majority of autopsies in West Virginia on underground coals miners for the National Coal Workers’ Autopsy Study (NCWAS). The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), located on the campus of the Robert C. Byrd Health Sciences Center in Morgantown, maintains this resource. The Pathology department collaborates with NIOSH in studies of occupational lung disease.

Links to Interesting Autopsy Sites:

Johns Hopkins Autopsy Resource: http://pathology.jhu.edu/autopsy_exhibit/

NCWAS information: http://aspe.os.dhhs.gov/datacncl/datadir/cdc5.htm#ncwas