Key result
Post-dissection weighing with clot removal reduces recorded heart weight by ~12% versus pre-dissection measurement.
Why the study?
Heart weight is a standard parameter used to describe cardiac pathology at autopsy, but no standardized protocol exists for its measurement.
Does measuring heart weight after dissection, rinsing, and drying reduce the recorded heart weight compared to measurement before dissection in autopsy practice?
Cross-Sectional (n=58)
Random allocation of dissection method
No
Does measuring heart weight after dissection, rinsing, and drying reduce the recorded heart weight compared to measurement before dissection in autopsy practice?
Mean Difference: 64.8 (95% CI 50.3–79.3)
To avoid overestimating cardiac hypertrophy during autopsies, heart weight should be measured only after complete dissection, removal of blood and clots, rinsing, and drying.
Dissection method affects measured heart weight at autopsy and may lead to underestimation; leaves open optimal protocol standardization in pathology research.
During autopsies, weighing the heart is a standard procedure. In addition to myocardial pathologies, heart size, and ventricular wall thickness, heart weight is a common parameter to describe cardiac pathology and should be recorded as accurately as possible. To date, there exists no standard for recording heart weight at autopsy, although some authors recommend weighing the heart after dissection and removal of blood and blood clots. In the study presented, the hearts of 58 decedents were weighed after being dissected out of the pericardial sac (a), after dissection using the short-axis or inflow-outflow method with manual removal of blood and blood clots (b), and after rinsing and drying (c). Depending on the dissection method, the heart weight was 7.8% lower for the inflow-outflow method and 11.6% lower for the short-axis method after dissection compared to before and correspondingly 2.9% to 5% lower again after rinsing and drying respectively. Accordingly, the heart should be dissected, blood and blood clots removed, rinsed with water, and dried with a surgical towel after dissection, before weighing.
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Lohner et al. (2023) conducted a cross-sectional in Decedents undergoing autopsy (n=58). Heart dissection and rinsing/drying vs. Heart weight before dissection was evaluated on Change in heart weight from baseline (before dissection) to after dissection using the inflow-outflow method (MD 64.8 g, 95% CI 50.3-79.3). Weighing the heart after dissection and removal of blood and clots resulted in an 11.6% and 7.8% decrease in heart weight for the inflow-outflow and short-axis methods, respectively, compared to weighing before dissection.
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