[Histonet] Assisting with Autopsies

[White, Lisa M.]

Here we all take turns doing the autopsies.  We have call for
weekends/holidays as well.  We do have pathologist and residents in the
suite with us, however we do the harvest and hand everything in one
block from the trachea to the testicles to the docs to dissect and then
we remove the brain and pituitary and place those if fixative for them.
Clean up the body (put it back into the crypt) and then clean as much of
the suite as possible while the docs are still dissecting the block.  It
is hard work and with the  type of patient that we service it is not
uncommon to have difficulties with extensive adhesions etc.  I have had
patients so large that I could hardly look into the cavity where I was
trying to cut (needed a ladder).

Years ago at a community hospital I was only an extra pair of hands,
ahhh the good old days.

 

You will need to be trained and it doesn't sound like your facility do
enough to do this quickly, if they insist that HT/HTL be diener to
assist then they need to have a good sign off procedure to train you
properly so that there are no safety issues and give you time to
practice.  The other thing for us is we basically loose one tech for the
day by the time they are finished and if you are like most labs and
short staffed this can be an issue in getting the daily workload out on
time.

 

Lisa White, HT(ASCP)

Supervisory HT

James H. Quillen VAMC

PO Box 4000

Corner of Veterans Way and Lamont

PLMS 113

Mountain Home, TN 37684

423-979-3567

423-979-3401 fax

 

 

 

 

Date: Tue, 19 Jul 2011 15:12:06 -0400

From: Amy Self <ASelf <@t> georgetownhospitalsystem.org>

Subject: [Histonet] Assisting with Autopsies 

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      <histonet <@t> lists.utsouthwestern.edu>

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Hello All,

 

We are small hospital that does approximately 5-10 autopsies a year.
This being said our administration department does not want to hire a
diener to assist with these autopsies. So I have decided to turn to all
of you out there in histoland for a little poll.

 

Does your facility use histotechs or a diener to assist with the
autopsy?

 

 

Thanks in advance for all of your help, Amy

 

 

Amy Self

Georgetown Hospital System

843-527-7179

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Thank you.

 

 

 

Lisa White, HT(ASCP)

Supervisory HT

James H. Quillen VAMC

PO Box 4000

Corner of Veterans Way and Lamont

PLMS 113

Mountain Home, TN 37684

423-979-3567

423-979-3401 fax