First clinical autopsy was done on Tuesday at AIIMS Bhopal. A young female died a few days after delivering a child.

Husband of the deceased knew about autopsy, had faith in autopsy and asked for autopsy to be conducted on his wife. Autopsy was conducted by collaboration between Pathology, Obstetrics & Gynaecology and Forensic Medicine departments.

Autopsy can reveal findings not known clinically and can help to substantiate or negate pathology in organs and hence help to establish the cause of death. Autopsy procedure takes about one to 2 hours and the histopathological, biochemical and microbiological investigations of the autopsy case can take 7 to 10 days for analysis and compilation. The clinical autopsy facility now exists in AIIMS Bhopal.

The autopsy is done in a clean Mortuary, with dignity for the deceased, clean suturing after autopsy and a team with persons designated to dissect, collect samples, take notes and take photographs. Skull is opened by oscillatory electric saw with suction and Mortuary has HVAC and suction facility to maintain the prescribed air cycles.

Downdraft autopsy tables and downdraft dissecting benches are used in the Mortuary. Mobiles are not allowed within the Mortuary during autopsy. Dr Vaishali Walke, head of department of Pathology, Dr Pushplata K head of department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology, Dr Arneet  Arora, head of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology along with Dr Deepti Joshi of Pathology and Dr Jayanthi Yadav of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology streamlined the process and formats. Support, encouragement and approval from Prof (Dr) Ajai Singh, Executive Director AIIMS Bhopal was pivotal for this milestone.