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Q&A
Duration and process of autopsies at OCME
4:00:10
ยท
99 sec
Council Member Lynn Schulman inquires about the average duration of autopsies at the Office of Chief Medical Examiner (OCME). Dr. Jason Graham explains the process and timelines involved in conducting autopsies and completing reports.
- The actual autopsy examination takes place within 24 hours of receiving the body
- Bodies are released to funeral homes promptly after the examination
- Report completion time varies depending on the need for additional tests, such as toxicology
- Toxicology testing may be required to determine the cause of death in some cases
- The overall process involves multiple steps: examination, toxicology testing (if needed), and report writing
Lynn Schulman
4:00:10
How I mean, I know each case is very different, but how long does an average autopsy take to do?
4:00:16
I know there's toxicology involved in in some aspects as well.
4:00:20
So
Jason Graham
4:00:22
That's correct.
4:00:23
And the the to be clear, the autopsy procedure itself is something is an examination of someone that's taking that takes place within twenty four hours of our receiving the body, and we perform the examination and the body is able to be released.
4:00:42
That there is no delay for families with respect to the release of their loved one to a funeral home for a final disposition.
4:00:49
So the autopsy procedure itself takes place very rapidly.
4:00:54
The report of autopsy may take additional time depending on what's involved.
4:01:00
If toxicology testing is required for us to determine ultimately the cause of death, that takes a bit of time.
4:01:08
But I'm also equally pleased to report our toxicology turnaround times have dramatically improved since last testifying in this chamber, and to nearly 50% improvement in that turnaround time.
4:01:26
And that also is reflected in the autopsy reports that depend on those toxicology reports to be able to be completed.
4:01:34
And so we've had also a significant improvement in our autopsy report turnaround time, which has improved to 30% roughly.
4:01:44
And so it's variable depending on the nature of the individual case.
Lynn Schulman
4:01:49
Right.