Essentials of Thanotechnological Sanitation
The study of thanotechnological sanitation is a fascinating and exciting one, providing, as it does an insight to many remarkable questions about our profession. Basically, it is a field in which you all have some background of knowledge. From childhood you were taught to practice good hygiene by washing your hands before eating, to wash your clothes and dishes, to refrigerate pasteurized milk, and to maintain and update all vaccinations.
All these things you have done and probably more to control the microbial environment.
What are these opportunistic microorganisms?
Mortuary Vocabulary
Thano: death
Technic: technique
Technique: the method of procedure/mechanical process of embalming procedure/operation
Ological: study of
Ology: study of
Sanitation: The establishment of conditions favorable to health.
Sanitarian: One skilled in sanitation and mortuary (embalming) science.
Sanibalm: Technique of sanitation as the primary function of embalming.
Embalming: Disinfect, Preserve, and Restore to natural form and color.
Disinfection: The reduction of disease producing microbes.
Disinfect: freeing of infection
Preserve: make lasting
Restore: to bring back to a natural likeness.
Sterilization: The complete destruction or removal of all forms of microbial life.
General Overview
The sanibalm technology begins with the removal of a body from the place of death with emphasis on the initial handling. Sometimes those who remove the body have not been exposed to or trained on the potential hazards that await them. Orientation is a necessity and should be the responsibility of every employer. It might be a specialized removal service, an ambulance service or a funeral establishment.
No matter what the cause of death may be, each body is a potential hazard. Even if the cause of death is considered natural (heart attack) we can isolate twenty-five (25) opportunistic organisms that may cause disease if/when they are relocated to a new host.
One should practice universal precautions to protect and prevent cross contamination from the dead to the living. This is essential due to the evolution of new strains of microbes and the mutations of long existing strains that have become antibiotic resistant. These are the super bugs as they are called (tuberculosis, gonorrhea, syphilis, etc.). Lackadaisical attitudes and deep seated ideas must be changed in order to establish new precautions in dealing with the new viruses and organisms that are constantly appearing.
At the time of a death call, the cause of death is not known. A removal vehicle is dispatched to the place of death (home, hospital, nursing home, medical examiner’s establishment, scene of accidental death etc.) without this knowledge. A variety of removal vehicles are used throughout the world, such as, station wagons, vans, ambulances, or the hearse.
A major concern is the lack of sanitary care to the vehicles and removal equipment by the practitioners. This may be due to the lack of formal education of private individuals as to the potential dangers of handling removals. This also reflects on individuals who have had formal instruction but are not communicating this information to entry level employees regarding hazardous removal conditions.
After every removal of a dead human body, the vehicle should be cleaned followed by the three D’s (disinfection, deodorization, and disinfestation). This would limit the potential cross contamination hazard for the service personnel.
Each vehicle should be supplied with protective garments, gloves, disinfectants, alcohol gel, insecticide, disinfectant wipes, barrier cream and plastic sheeting/plastic pouches. With the increase in respiratory infections, the ear loop style procedure mask is a recommended sundry for the removal process.
Anytime the removal cot is handled, the practitioner should wear gloves. The use of barrier cream prior to gloving adds an additional protective layer to the skin. With blood borne diseases, this gives the operator an edge on self-protection.
Part 4 will continue with the general overview.