AP102 No Gross Findings in the Autopsy Lab: Now What?
9:30–11:30 am
2.5 CME/SAM CREDITS
The absence of significant gross findings during an autopsy often leads pathologists to diagnostic trepidation and potentially awkward conversations with clinical teams and family members. Knowing what to do next and what to tell clinicians and relatives are keys to effective, efficient autopsy service. This course reviews important diseases to consider when abnormalities are subtle or even absent in the autopsy lab, such as myocarditis, Long QT syndrome and other “channelopathies,” cardiac conduction system disease, unusual infections, and metabolic disorders. Faculty will focus on differential diagnosis and practical algorithms for ancillary testing. Following this session, participants may complete a related online self-assessment module, available through December 31, 2012. More details will be provided in the course.
You will learn to:
- List common disease processes that may not be associated with grossly apparent findings or that are associated with subtle findings commonly overlooked during routine autopsy procedures
- Determine when ancillary testing techniques (eg, special stains, microbiology, toxicology, chemistry, and molecular studies) are appropriate for a given case and what samples to submit for such testing
- Develop talking points for conversations with ordering physicians and/or family members about next steps, anticipated turnaround times, and the nature of preliminary autopsy findings
Faculty
Dylan V. Miller, MD, FCAP
Karen F. Ross, MD, FCAP