Artefacts encountered during post mortem examination Satrajit Roy, MBBS

1. ARTEFACTS
Dr Satrajit Roy

3. OBJECTIVES
• DEFINITION
• CLASSIFICATION
• DESCRIPTION
• MEDICOLEGAL IMPORTANCE

4. DEFINITION
Change or a feature which was not physiologically or even
pathologically present in the body tissues before death in
natural course of events, but which have been caused or
introduced into the body after death, often leading to much
confusion about its nature and causative effect and resulting in
misinterpretation of medicolegally significant findings

5. Artefacts
Introduced between
death and autopsy
Introduced during
autopsy

6. CLASSIFICATION
1. Due to resuscitative or therapeutic measures
2. Between death and autopsy
3. Due to injuries or lesions to organs before death
4. During autopsy

7. DUE TO RESUSCITATIVE OR THERAPEUTIC
MEASURES
• Intravenous marks
• External cardiac massage
• Endotracheal intubation and PPV
• Carotid angiography
• Extension of injuries by surgical incisions during surgical
operation

11. BETWEEN DEATH AND AUTOPSY
• Agonal artefact
• Embalming artefact
• Internment and exhumation artefacts
• Due to handling of cadaver
• Due to post mortem changes (rigor mortis, hypostasis, decomposition)
• Animal and insect bites
• Toxicological artefacts

15. • Abrasions
• Contusions
• Fractures
• Breakage of Rigor
Mortis

24. DUE TO INJURIES OR LESIONS TO
ORGANS BEFORE DEATH
• Gunshot wounds
• Decomposition
• Embalming
• Radiographic artefact

28. DURING AUTOPSY
• Air in blood vessels
• Skull fracture
• Visceral damage
• Extravasation of blood
• Fracture of hyoid bone

36. Unstable hyoid loosely removed during autopsy
Incomplete ossification
of the hyoid
Antemortem injury Post-mortem injury
Flat Panel CT Scan AM v/s PM fractures

38. ABRASION
BRUISE
LACERATION
ANTEMORTEM V/S POST MORTEM

41. MEDICOLEGAL IMPORTANCE
Wrong and erroneous interpretation of such artefacts may lead
to:
1. Wrong conclusion as to:
• Cause of death
• Mode of death
• Antemortem/Post-mortem in nature
• Manner of death

42. Cont..
2. Unjustified suspicion of foul play
3. Misguided direction to investigating police officer
4. Miscarriage of justice

43. ARTEFACTS MAY LEAD TO:
IMPRISONMENT
OF INNOCENT
FREEDOM OF
THE GUILTY