Whenever I watched crime shows, I was always fascinated with the forensic aspects, especially when the coroner or forensic pathologist begins to break down their findings on the cause of death of the victim and other peculiarities they discovered during their investigation.
In reality, autopsies or postmortems aren't exactly as dramatic or necessary when somebody dies. The only cases which require autopsies are those when suspicious circumstances surround the death of an individual. Otherwise, if the cause of death can be readily ascertained by the attending doctor, then they can certify it, and the deceased will be brought to the funeral service.
The reason why crime shows often involve autopsies is because investigators are looking for any clues that will aid them in apprehending the culprit, and the manner of death as well as any residual evidence inside a person's body may point them to the right direction.
Most of the time, crime shows don't actually depict the step-by-step procedure of an autopsy. They simply highlight the salient findings so that the story can proceed to the next phase. Outside the realm of TV drama, autopsies are conducted depending on the circumstances of the death, and there are two types: non-coronial and coronial.
Non-coronial autopsies can be considered probing procedures, in that, one wants to know more about the details surrounding the death, i.e. the extent of any medical condition that led to the death or any undiagnosed medical condition that contributed to the death. In these cases, cause of death is known and we simply want to know the specifics.
Coronial autopsies are the ones featured mostly in crime shows, because these involve accidental, violent, unnatural, or unexpected deaths. Typically, these are reported to a coroner who is a forensic pathologist with legal training. These autopsies can either be an external examination or an internal examination of one particular cavity or multiple cavities.
The first step is a CT scan as well as establishment of the identity of the deceased. Forensic pathologists may look for visible signs or identifying marks like tattoos or scars. Blood, urine, and eye fluids are sampled to check for drugs, poisons, or other substances.
If these don't give any clear indication of what caused the death of the person, then a more invasive procedure may be required. The forensic pathologist will make incisions and remove several internal organs to examine them more closely. The brain may also be removed to check for blood clots, trauma, or other signs of disease.
After all the examinations are finished, they will return the organs in their place and stitch the body back up. Finally, they will wait for the results of the tests before giving a full report of their findings. There are cases when it is unclear what exactly caused the death, and those are labeled "unascertained".
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