ONLY ON 糖心vlog: Inside the office of the Iowa state medical examiner
An average autopsy takes four hours, but more complex cases can take longer.
An average autopsy takes four hours, but more complex cases can take longer.
An average autopsy takes four hours, but more complex cases can take longer.
The state medical examiner's office in Ankeny operates 24/7, investigating deaths and providing closure for families. Dr. Dennis Klein and his team of medical examiners investigate the circumstances in each case.
"We also do an internal examination, which we're able to look at the organs inside the body to really help us understand any injuries or diseases that cause the person's death," Klein said.
The team uses various tools, including evidence gathering from the scene, other tests are done in the lab.
"We do a lot of testing, looking for poisons and medications and drugs. That's very important from both public health and public safety," Klein said.
An average autopsy takes four hours, but more complex cases can take longer.
"It can take weeks, sometimes months, to receive those results. And those results are critical for us to actually come up with a cause and manner of death," Klein said.
The office employs six full-time pathologists, nine part-time pathologists, and a backup team to ensure they are never short-staffed. They collaborate to reach conclusions.
"It's an independent decision, an opinion that's made by a professional group that's an accredited organization," Klein said.
Since 1999, the agency has seen a growing number of autopsies, with a record high in 2023 of nearly 2,000 autopsies after the resignation of the Polk County medical examiner in 2022. Since April, the state has taken over autopsies for the county.
"Be able to meet the demands of high volume, also be able to provide that seven-day-a-week, holidays and weekend service that you can when you have a full group in a centralized office," Klein said.
While there has been no backlog of cases for several years, the agency is looking to hire one more full-time pathologist, a group of dedicated professionals helping families find answers and closure.
Getting ready for expansion
The state is planning a 23,000 square-foot expansion of the current facility. It has been in use since 2005, designed to handle about 800 cases a year. The expansion includes new equipment and more space.
"I think this will help with our turnaround times, making sure that we get cases done in a very timely manner," Klein said.
The project is estimated to cost $36.3 million and is expected to break ground in April of next year.
Recruitment challenges
Klein has been with the office for 25 years. He says recruiting in this field of medicine is a challenge.
"It's a niche, subspecialty of medicine, and they're just not the numbers going into that area as there are leaving the field," Klein said.
Medical students spend their third and fourth years working in different specialties. Pathology is one specialty, but not required at Des Moines University, so only 10 percent of students get exposure working at a medical examiner's office.
"I believe the interest is actually there. We need more pathology residencies," Dr. Jennifer Beaty, Des Moines University associate dean for graduate medical education, said.
"It's a commitment and investment in people that we do here to have a faculty that not just wants to come here to work, but really as part of a group and wants to be here for their entire careers," Klein said.
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