£1.2m digital autopsy facility opens for business in Sandwell

A REVOLUTIONARY £1.2m digital autopsy facility opens for business in Sandwell today (Monday).

iGene, operator of the world’s first Digital Autopsy Facility network has struck a deal with Sandwell Council which has seen the new facility installed at Sandwell Valley crematorium.

Digital autopsy involves using iGene’s unique proprietary Infopsy® 3D visualisation software system to reconstruct a 3D body from the data acquired by a whole body CT scan. This enables the pathologist and radiologist to conduct a full post mortem and establish the cause of death without a scalpel. The results are available almost immediately.
 
Ash Govind, Global Vice President for iGene, said: “We are delighted to be opening this digital autopsy facility in Sandwell. It will not only complement the current arrangements for coronial investigation, but also offers all bereaved families an unrivalled opportunity to avoid a loved one having to undergo an invasive post mortem.
 
“We believe that everybody should have the right to choose a digital autopsy for themselves or a loved one after their death. Digital Autopsy is a tremendous compassionate step forward in establishing the cause of death because it can avoid dissection of the body and it can also facilitate the earlier release of bodies for burial or cremation, which is often an important factor for grieving families.
 
“We are delighted to be working with such a forward-thinking local authority as Sandwell Council and this new facility, our first in the Midlands, underlines our commitment to creating a £50m nationwide network of digital autopsy centres available to every person in the UK.”
 
Sandwell Council’s Deputy Leader Cllr Mahboob Hussain added: “It will be a proud moment for the council and for iGene to see the new digital autopsy centre open. Many grieving families will now be able to choose this non-invasive option to find out the cause of their loved one’s death – which we believe will be of great comfort to them.
 
“And for Sandwell residents, there will be no extra charge, which will be a further relief for the bereaved at a very difficult time.”
 
Approximately 550,000 deaths are recorded in England and Wales each year alone, of which more than 200,000 are classified as medico legal. iGene believes that Digital Autopsies will become the first line intervention in post mortem investigation and more than 70% of the cases could be concluded with Digital Autopsy alone. In the future a more targeted, invasive post mortem may only be  required where Digital Autopsy cannot provide all information required.