medical

Health Care Professionals

General Information

Families might request an autopsy on a loved one for different reasons. They might want to know the cause of death in unexplained illnesses or to verify the suspected cause of death. They might want to know about the illness or the effects of therapies on the illness. They also might want to contribute to knowledge about the disease by allowing tissues to be used for research or education. Examples of some circumstances that can directly benefit families include:

  • Finding an infectious disease like tuberculosis may lead to early diagnosis and treatment to help other family members and close contacts.
  • Discovering inherited or genetic diseases, which might help families through early detection, diagnosis, treatment and in family planning.
  • Finding proof of a work-related disease might lead to compensation for the family.
  • Supplying crucial information for the settling of insurance claims or death benefits.

For the purpose of the Calgary Brain Bank, the family must allow tissues to be retained after the autopsy and allow them to be used for research. This information is provided as a check box option in the Alberta Health Services Consent for Autopsy form.

When to notify the medical examiner

The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner (OCME) needs to be notified for all deaths that occur in suspicious circumstances (including suspected homicides, suicides, and accidental deaths). They also need to be notified if a patient dies unexpectedly, when they were in apparent good health or if they were not attended by a physician, if they die while in the mandatory care of the government (such as in a mental health or correctional facility), or if they received Medical Assistance in Dying (MAID). The phone number of the OCME in Calgary is: 403-297-8123.

How to obtain a medical autopsy in Alberta

Steps to follow after a patient’s death:

  1. Notify the OCME in select circumstances (see above).
  2. Complete the Alberta Health Services Consent for Autopsy form (pages 2 and 3) with the next of kin. 
  • In the "Consent for Autopsy" section check the first box ‘I consent to bodily tissue and organs removed at autopsy being kept for future medical education and research’ under ‘Consent for Retention of Organs/Tissue for Education and Research’.
  • On page 2, in the "Signatures" section the next of kin should sign under ‘Authorized Representative’ and have a witness sign their name.
  • Complete the Certificate of Death.
  • Affix two identification tags to the patient. Each tag requires the patient’s first and last name, their date of birth, and a hospital identification number or AHC Personal Health Number.
  • Call Foothills admitting/Vital Statistics at 403-944-1689 to arrange transfer.
  • Call the Cognitive Neurosciences Clinic at 403-944-4406 during office hours or email the brain bank at ucbb@ucalgary.ca to inform us of patient’s death and inquire about reimbursement of transportation of body costs.
  • Transport of the body to Foothills Medical Centre (see below)

Key points (problems that can delay an autopsy):

  1. The Consent for Autopsy must be signed AFTER the patient has died. Although the consent form can be filled out in advance, the final signatures must be obtained after the patient's death.
  2. The body must be positively identified. The province requires two separate identification tags. Pathologists cannot start the autopsy without this information.

Most Common Problems with Consent:

  1. Consent was acquired from the wrong person, who was not the next-of-kin. The next-of-kin order on the consent form must be strictly followed (i.e. first - spouse or adult interdependent partner, second - children, with all agreeing but just one acting for all, third - legal guardian)
  2. Signed consent was acquired before patient died. This cannot be used; it must be signed after death.
  3. Consent acquired and witnessed by the physician. The witness must be a different person; the physician cannot obtain the consent and also witness the consent.

How to obtain a medical autopsy with the intent to donate to the Calgary Brain Bank:

If the family specifically intends to donate to the Calgary Brain Bank, the process is simplified: call Vital Statistics / Admitting at Foothills Medical Centre. The Calgary Brain Bank will fund the transportation of the deceased from the point of death in Calgary (e.g. chronic care facility or home) to the Foothills Medical Centre, which will be arranged by Vital Statistics / Admitting at FMC. It is best for clinical staff who know the family and patient to complete the Consent for Autopsy form, although this can be obtained later.

Steps to follow after a patient's death:

  1. Call Vital Statistics / Admitting (403-944-1689) at Foothills Medical Centre and notify them that the family or next-of-kin request an autopsy with tissue to be donated to the Calgary Brain Bank. Vital Statistics / Admitting will arrange for the body to be transported from the location in Calgary to the Foothills Medical Centre.
  2. Complete the Alberta Health Services Consent for Autopsy form (pages 2 and 3) with the next of kin. 
  • In the "Consent for Autopsy" section check the first box ‘I consent to bodily tissue and organs removed at autopsy being kept for future medical education and research’ under ‘Consent for Retention of Organs/Tissue for Education and Research’.
  • On page 2, in the "Signatures" section the next of kin should sign under ‘Authorized Representative’ and have a witness sign their name.
  • Send the completed consent form with the body or fax the consent to Vital Statistics / Admitting.

Information provided by an autopsy

An autopsy can provide several different types of information. It can establish the proximal cause of death and determine the sequence of events that lead to the patient's death. It can also provide additional information about a patient's concomitant medical conditions that might or might not have influenced the death. Results from an autopsy can also have genetic implications.

For autopsies that give permission for research, the Calgary Brain Bank reports detailed neuroanatomic information about the extent of the patient's disease, including standard staging and grading of different neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer disease and Lewy body dementia. Often these data correlate with salient or unusual aspects of a patient's disease presentation and course. For example, damage that is most severe in the frontal lobes would correlate with significant early disturbances in behaviour, while most severe damage to the hippocampus would correlate with early memory difficulties.

Times required to complete an autopsy

The autopsy itself can take from half an hour to several hours. "Brain-only" autopsies typically take 30-45 minutes, while a full autopsy on a complicated patient can take up to four hours. Typically, if a body is available in the morning for autopsy, the funeral home can pick it up that afternoon for funeral preparations.

After the autopsy, examination of the brain requires fixation in formalin for several weeks, to make it firm enough to dissect carefully. The final autopsy report can take from one to several months to complete.

Transportation of the body for autopsy

In Alberta, only approved vendors can transport bodies. Typically, these are funeral homes. Alberta Health Services contracts with McInnis & Holloway Funeral homes for local transportation between AHS facilities.

If the patient dies in an AHS facility, AHS should fund the transport of the body to Foothills Medical Centre FMC for the autopsy. However, if the patient dies at a non-AHS facility or at home, the family would need to arrange for transportation to FMC and then from FMC to the funeral home. Families would need to contract a specific funeral home for these services. The Calgary Brain Bank can reimburse the family for the transportation costs to FMC but requires a receipt from the funeral home.

Important contacts:

Vital Statistics: 403-944-1689

Pathology autopsy desk: 403-944-4745‬

Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, Calgary:
Phone: 403-297-8123
Fax: 403-297-3429
Email: ocme_admin@gov.ab.ca

AHS Transportation - McInnis & Holloway Funeral Homes
403-243-8200
1-800-661-1599
Email: info@mhfh.com