Emedinews:Insights on MEdicolegal Issues:Postmortem examination: Ideal containers/preservative for viscera

For preservation of viscera, clean, wide-mouthed glass bottles fitted with glass stoppers of one liter capacity should be used. Rubber inserts under caps should preferably not be used. • 20–30 ml of blood taken from femoral artery or vein by skin puncture should be collected in 60ml screw–capped bottles or in plastic capped tubes/10 mg of sodium or potassium fluoride per ml of blood should be added in blood for preserving blood. • 20–30 ml of urine is obtained from direct puncture of the bladder during the postmortem examination with a syringe and needle and should be collected in 60 ml screw–capped bottles or in plastic capped tubes and 20–30mg of thymol blue or boric acid or acetic acid should be added as preservative. • Saturated sodium chloride solution (common salt) for all the visceral samples for chemical/toxicological examination. • If there is an associated history of death due to acid intoxication then all the samples should be preserved in rectified spirit.