February 2021

Page A16 FEBRUARY 2021 FUNERAL HOME & CEMETERY NEWS Se c t i on A Funeral Directors Research,Inc. AMRA INSTRUMENT, LLC 623 N. Tower (P.O. Box 359) Centralia, WA 98531 “the shorter the supply line the better off you are” WEB DIRECT GIFT & PRICING TM ® www.amrainstruments.com www.preproomdirect.com By Wally Hooker, CFSP, MBIE As we continue the discussion on preparing edema- tous bodies, I remind our readers…I do not consider myself an expert, nor an educator. I have been asked to and am simply sharing what has and does work for me in my embalming room. Without sharing the names and brands of the fluids I use, it is difficult to accu- rately share the formulations that work for me. Again, I stress the importance of thoroughly understanding the chemicals you have at hand. I’ve always said, em- balming machines and chemicals can all work success- fully…it’s the skill, knowledge and experience of the embalmer that achieves successful results. Without technical knowledge of chemicals and how best to set your embalming machine, you are definitely putting yourself and successful results at a disadvantage. We left off last month discussing embalming the grossly edematous body below the neck. Prior to start- ing our arterial injection, observe for blistering, pock- ets of edema or skin slip present. I suggest draining blisters and pulling skin slip to access the underlying tissue and look for other potential problem areas re- quiring pre-embalming treatment. I use a strong topi- cal embalming gel, (which is a hexaphene based chem- ical). It is very powerful and effective, but needs to be used carefully as it can cause eye and nasal irritation with prolonged exposure. I apply a liberal amount over the problem areas, cover with Webril Cotton then wrap with plastic. Covering the gel with plastic ac- complishes two goals…it lessens the irritation to the embalmer and keeps the gel working on the tissue by keeping it contained against the skin. This product will potentially embalm and dehydrate the treated tissue if given 12 hours or more to penetrate. This gives us a ‘leg up’ on preserving these challenging areas. Following the initial injection and giving it time to adequately work, we should be able to observe a change in the tissue. We should let those results guide our following injections. Are we seeing a reduction of the swelling? If so, we are on track for further reduc- tion as well as tissue preservation. Keeping in mind, moisture reduction and tissue preservation are the ul- timate goal...we can’t have one without the other. I would continue with the ‘waterless’ arterial injection, but I would suggest increasing the solution strength with each gallon. Continue with enough volume of ar- terial solution to thoroughly preserve the deep tissue. inside location of the elbow, I introduce an infant tro- car, both up toward the armpit and down toward the wrist, channeling in a ‘fan’ method. I then use long for- ceps to insert rolled Webril Cotton into the opening to work as wicks to draw the fluid out. If you collect the drainage, you will be amazed by the volume of the amount drained. You will experience reduction of the swelling and see significant drainage for 8-12 hours. If you need further reduction, try using elastic ban- dages or 4 inch mortuary shrink wrap. Starting at the upper arm, tightly wrap downward toward the drain- age point and from the wrist upward toward the drain- age point. This additional pressure and gravity will further reduce the swelling by forcing the moisture out the opening. Don’t make the mistake of wrapping from the entrance point toward the wrist, this will force the moisture into the hand and actually cause swelling post-embalming. This step should only take a few hours to work. If you find you still have spongy or soft tissue, on the arm or hand, this is a good place to use the topical embalming gel previously discussed. This product will not ‘bleach’ the tissue and will thor- oughly preserve it topically and deeply if you follow the protocol we used above. I know many of you operate in high volume facilities and may not have the luxury of time to allow further physical or gravitational reduction of edema. Hope- fully you can adapt some of what we discussed to add to your game plan. Next month we will finish up this series of ‘moisture considerations’ with discussion on the final touch. We will discuss finalizing our post- embalming treatments, plastic garments, shrink wrap, dressing and casketing for dry, trouble free, open cas- ket results. Stay safe, don’t drop the ball, always go the extra mile for those in our care and their families. The only have one opportunity to say goodbye! Using adequate dye will enable you to trace your results. Watch for reduction of the swelling and use restricted/ intermittent drainage to ensure reaching the deep tissue until you have achieved the ultimate goal of preservation. By restricting drainage, we are attempting to push our arterial solution to force the edema out of the tissue and interstitial spaces and out with our drainage. Your eyes and experience will tell you when you have achieved deep thorough tissue preservation. Sometimes even the most accomplished embalmer, us- ing the best machines and specialty chemicals will face post-embalming complications requiring further treat- ment. Perhaps tissue that initially appeared to be firm and well embalmed becomes soft and spongy. This is a result of excessive amounts of moisture working adversely against your arterial solution. I would attempt to overcome these situations by using the topical embalming gel and tech- niques we previously discussed. After 12 hours if the area did not exhibit adequate preservation and dehydration, I would hypo as a last resort. Perhaps using a 50/50 mixture of a 30 index arterial fluid and co-injection accessory fluid. Using a ‘hot’ or non-diluted arterial fluid can potentially firm the immediate tissue and prevent from attaining the tissue permeation you’d like to achieve, (some refer to this as walling off). I mention this as a last-resort, because any time we are making an entry point into edematous tissue, we often find it difficult to adequately and securely close/ suture the opening. I suggest making the entry point on the superior location and inject downward. After allowing the hypo treatment to work, use a cauterizing chemical in, around and over the opening for drying of the tissue be- fore suturing or using a ‘multi-closure’ button or adhesive. A quick tip, if a ‘super glue’ type of adhesive is your choice of closure…use a ‘degreasing agent’ first to clean the skin of any oil or other moisture before apply the adhesive. Oil on the skin is a common problem in adhesives or waxes not adhering properly. Another challenging problem that often presents it- self post-embalming, is remaining edema moisture in the arm and hands. Normally you will find the skin is very thin, fragile, discolored and leaking. Perhaps the leakage is from IV sites or from ruptured/torn skin, either way it is a tough battle to overcome. To the dismay of many, I believe with edema, it is better out than in! This is a circumstance where I will use gravity, elevation, wicking and time to my advantage in reducing the remaining swollen tissue. At the FUNERAL HOME & CEMETERY NEWS www.nomispublications.com Monthly Columns online at Wallace P. (Wally) Hooker CFSP, MBIE, is the owner, funeral direc - tor and embalmer of Family & Friends Funeral Home of Wingate, IN. He and his wife, Janet designed, established and built their funeral home in 2004. Wally is a graduate of Worsham College of Mortuary Science, where he serves on the Advisory Board. He is Past President of the Indiana Funeral Directors Association and board member of North American Division of the British Institute of Embalmers. In ad- dition, he has served as chief deputy coroner/investigator of Fountain County, IN for the last 24 years. Embalming 101 Moisture Considerations ORLANDO,FL— Foundation Partners Group has an- nounced the acquisition of Akin-Davis Funeral Homes in Southwest Florida. The acquisition adds three new locations to the Foundation Partners Group network, bringing its footprint in Florida to 30 locations. “Akin-Davis Funeral Homes make a great addition to our growing portfolio of funeral operations on Florida’s gulf coast,” stated Kent Robertson, Foundation Partners Group president. “The Akin family has set a high stan- dard of service in their community and created a culture and value system that matches ours.” Akin-Davis Funeral Homes had served the Clewiston and LaBelle, FL communities for decades under two prior own- ers when Cecil Akin and Luther Davis purchased and re- named the firm in the early 1980s. They expanded to a third location in Fort Myers in 1998 and Akin bought out Davis in the early 2000s. In 2009 the Akin children, Daniel and Kimberly, took over active management of the firm. The Akin-Davis team has grown alongside the commu- nity for years, says co-owner Kimberly Akin, who oper- ates the funeral home with her brother Daniel. “We really didn’t have a formal succession plan and Daniel’s chil- dren had no interest in the business,” said Kimberly. “We didn’t want to be in our 60s and looking for someone lo- cal to buy three funeral homes. Foundation Partners was a perfect fit for us since they are a privately owned firm that really cares about serving families,” she said. “Every- thing about the experience has been very positive.” “We are always looking to explore partnerships with the finest independent funeral homes in our profession, and Akin-Davis is just that,” states Tom Kominsky, Chief Financial Officer at Foundation Partners Group. “It has been a pleasure to work with the Akin family on their succession planning and we are excited to continue their Foundation Partners Group adds to Florida Footprint mission of providing thoughtful, high-quality services to the community.” Orlando, Florida-based Foundation Partners Group is one of the industry’s most innovative providers of funeral ser- vices. The company owns and operates a network of more than 150 funeral homes, cremation centers and cemeteries across 20 states. Their organizational structure allows us to embrace and grow the legacies of the local funeral homes we acquire while leveraging the economies of scale, deep understanding of technology, and their ShareLife® custom- er experience-centered approach to deliver truly innova- tive and compassionate care to the families we serve. Visit www.foundationpartners.com to learn more. SEND US YOUR NEWS! PO Box 5159, Youngstown, OH 44514 1-800-321-7479 info@nomispublications.com Scan QR for our website 1-888-792-9315 • mymortuarycooler.com Mortuary Coolers starting at $4,299 Beat the price increase increase coming March 2021