Coroners

Overview

The need for transplantable organs and tissues is a public health concern. Coroners and medical examiners, as public health professionals, are in a position to help facilitate the eye donation process, and we share a common goal to serve our local communities. By partnering to establish effective and timely communication of the donation process, we can ensure that both the needs of the investigation as well as those of the donor families can be met.

Collaboration is imperitive. It is also required by law. Both Colorado and Wyoming state laws require coroners and eye banks to establish a written protocol that protects both the coroner's law enforcement and public health duties and maximizes transplantable eye tissue donations. A written protocol is in the best interests of your office because it can be customized to your county and its processes and resources. To establish a protocol for your county, please call the Public & Professional Relations Department at 800-444-7479. In Wyoming, call 800-336-6192.

Webinar: Charting a New Course- Eye Donation and Death Investigation

Samantha Wetzler, MD, offers a new perspective on coroner relationships with eye banks and other donation agencies. The session focuses on the science of the cornea and how it impacts cause of death determination. The coroner's role in public health is also discussed as well as developments within the National Association of Medical Examiners regarding eye, organ and tissue donation.

Who it's for: coroners, medical examiners, death investigators, district attorneys and pathologists

Faculty: Samantha Wetzler, MD

• Medical Examiner, Commonwealth of Virginia
• Chair, ad hoc Committee on Organ and Tissue Procurement, National Association of Medical Examiners
• Member, National Institutes of Health bio-bank scientific advisory panel

 National Association of Medical Examiners Position Paper on Donation

• Download the PDF document discussing NAME's position on eye, organ and tissue donation in the midst of death investigation

State Laws on Donation and the Coroner's Role

• Colorado Uniform Anatomical Gift Act  (sections for coroners are at 15-19-222 and 223)
• Wyoming Uniform Anatomical Gift Act (sections for coroners are at 35-5-221 and 222)

 Biology of the Cornea  and Corneal Transplantation  

• Cornea Transplantation 101 for Coroners
• Eye Tissue Recovery Facts for Coroners (time frames, what we do, evidence collection and documentation)

 Research Articles on Coroner Involvement in Transplantation (Referenced at CCA Convention): 

• Medical Examiner Release of Organs and Tissues for Transplantation
• Vital Role of Medical Examiners and Coroners in Organ Transplantation
• Petechiae in Hanging: A Retrospective Study of Contributing Variables
• Asphyxial Deaths and Petechiae: A Review