Dignified management of dead: AIIMS Delhi introduces virtual autopsy

Written by Sanchari Chattopadhyay Published On 2021-03-23T09:15:16+05:30 | Updated On 23 March 2021 5:25 PM IST

Dignified management of dead: AIIMS Delhi introduces virtual autopsy

New Delhi: In a revolutionary step, the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Delhi has introduced a virtual autopsy for the first time in South ad South-Eastern regions on Saturday, thereby doing away with the need to cut open the dead body to establish the cause of death.

Virtual autopsy allowed the experts to conduct a postmortem on a dead body without dissecting the body from top to bottom. The facility has been inaugurated by Dr Balram Bhargava, the Director-General of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) on Saturday.

In a virtual autopsy, the internal organs, tissues, and bones of a dead body can be analyzed and examined without touching the body. Following the process, the body will be packed in a bag and put under a specialized CT Scan Machine and a coaxial tomography is performed and within a second a thousand images of the internal organs will be captured.

Thus, the forensic experts will be able to analyze the internal organs without conducting a physical autopsy on the corpse. The virtual autopsy reports will be available in digital format and it will allow other forensic pathologists to conduct an additional analysis also. Thus, a second and third opinion can be sought even after years if some complications or allegations come up regarding the autopsy in the future.

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In the cases of suicide or accident or unnatural death, autopsy becomes an important part of the police investigation. However, it takes almost 1 to 6 hours or even days for the experts to prepare the autopsy report depending on the complexity of the case and the availability of experts who will conduct the procedure. On the other hand, a virtual autopsy will take only 3 to 10 minutes to be done. The use of technology can also decrease human errors and thus can be a great help in medico-legal cases.

Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan also supported the idea of AIIMS and ICMR to setup virtual autopsy labs. Many have appreciated virtual autopsy for being dignified management of the dead.

Dr Sudhir Gupta, the Professor, and Head of the Forensic Medicine department at AIIMS told Medical Dialogues that this initiative is the first of its kind to be implemented in the south and south-east Asia. Dr Gupta further stated that AIIMS gets almost 3000 cases of postmortem examination each year and 30% to 50% of these cases do not really require physical dissection of the corpse.

He told the daily, "These include deaths caused due to accident, hanging or suicide. In many cases, there is no need to cut open the body to establish the cause of death. A virtual autopsy will suffice."

The doctor also stated that Digital X-Ray machines are often utilized in cases of firearm deaths, blast injuries, penetrating injuries, and hidden fractures among others. However, it has certain drawbacks as well. The hospital remains crowded with patients, doctors, and staff. Under such circumstances, it becomes extremely inconvenient to do the x-ray of the deceased as there are also live patients who undergo a radiological examination. In cases of decomposed bodies, it may contaminate the whole atmosphere and the place, thus increasing the risk of infection spread. Hence, the newly introduced technology is going to be a boon for the facility as well as the doctors and the patients.

All India Institute of Medical SciencesIndian Council of Medical Researchvirtual autopsyForensic Medicine departmentAIIMSICMRaiimsaiims delhiBalram Bhargava

Sanchari Chattopadhyay

Sanchari Chattopadhyay has pursued her M.A in English and Culture Studies from the University of Burdwan, West Bengal. She likes observing cultural specificities and exploring new places.