Autopsy After Traumatic Death-A Shifting Paradigm1

The autopsy after traumatic death is more than a mechanism of quality control and teaching. A high proportion of patients will have incidental findings important to family members, and have public health importance. Systems need to be developed to review autopsy results with attention to identifying and communicating incidental findings. Given the incidence of significant missed injuries and incidental findings, the autopsy continues to have an important role in health care.