Important Note

Questions regarding autopsies or the Anatomic Gifts Program via DMS can be addressed by the DHMC Anatomic Pathology office between the hours of 8 A.M. and 5 P.M., Monday-Friday.

Telephone: 603-650-7211

Fax: 603-650-7214

After hours and on weekends, please contact the anatomic staff pathologist on call via the operator.

• Autopsy permission must be obtained from the legal next-of-kin in the following heirarchical order:
  1. The spouse
  2. An adult son or daughter
  3. A parent
  4. An adult brother or sister
  5. An adult grandchild
  6. An adult niece or nephew who is the child of a brother or sister
  7. A maternal grandparent
  8. A paternal grandparent
  9. An adult aunt or uncle
  10. An adult first cousin
  11. Any other adult relative in descending order of blood relationship
  12. Legal guardian or Power of Attorney (Only if no other mentally competent family member exists)
      • Confirm proof of guardianship or Power of Attorney with Deceased Patient Coordinator

If autopsy permission is granted:

• The clinician should complete the death certificate to Line 26. Pathology will complete the rest.
• The family should make arrangements with a funeral director. The funeral director will be notified by the DPC when the decedent will be available for release. The name of the funeral director should be indicated on the blue `report of death` form.

If autopsy permission is denied:

• The DPC will notify the funeral director. The clinical staff or resident MUST complete and sign the death certificate immediately. The decedent cannot be released to the funeral home until the death certificate is complete.

When appropriate, the Deceased Patient Coordinator (DPC) will contact the NH State Medical Examiner's Office:

250 Pleasant Street Concord, New Hampshire 03301

603-271-1235 / 603-271-6308

Chief Medical Examiner: Jennie V. Duval, MD

Deaths that must be reported to the Medical Examiner under N.H. RSA § 611-
B:11 include any patient involved in the following:

• Any criminal act, fire, explosion or death associated with firearms (regardless of timeframe)
• Any trauma (intentional/unintentional – regardless of timeframe)
• An unwitnessed fall or found down (regardless of timeframe)
• Any motor vehicle crash including ATV, motorcycle, bicycle, or boat (regardless of timeframe)
• Poison, illicit drug use or an overdose of any drug or medication, hazardous environmental exposure or toxin exposure (regardless of timeframe)
• Operative or diagnostic procedures during admission
• Death occurring less than 24 hours after admission to a health care facility or hospital, except anticipated death
• Death of a child under the age of 18 years unless anticipated death
• Death in custody
• Suspicious or unusual circumstances surrounding an unanticipated death

Under these circumstances, the death certificate is completed by the Medical Examiner. No permission is required from the family when a death falls under Medical Examiner jurisdiction. In these cases, the autopsy is performed in Concord, NH. If the Medical Examiner`s Office deems an autopsy unnecessary for medico-legal purposes, the family may still request an autopsy to be performed at DHMC.