The autopsy: lessons from the National Confidential Enquiry into Perioperative Deaths

Not long ago, the place of the autopsy in medical practice seemed to be primarily the concern of the medical pro-fession. Then the issue of organ retention came to public attention in the UK following the Bristol Royal Infirmary and Alder Hey Inquiries1,2, and the whole question of keeping organs and other samples from autopsies suddenly became the focus of intense media attention, generally negative, in which the British government was involved3,4. In consequence, there is debate about the future role of the autopsy. Several government-sponsored reviews of the conduct of the medical profession in regard to autopsies have been proposed. Some of these are currently out to consultation and include national standardized autopsy consent forms, a code of practice for bereavement services4, a review of the