Holding donated human bodies in conservation: A novel interactive safe-keeping system meeting high ethical and safety standards

Human anatomy education and management of anatomic specimens during and after COVID-19 pandemic: Ethical, legal and biosafety aspects

“…For long-term custody purposes in medical schools, the anatomic specimens can be chemically embalmed or cooled to −20 °C, the latter being a better procedure for training surgical techniques, due to the similarity of the tissues in terms of texture and color with the living individual ( Schnittler et al, 2019 ). However, the embalming technique is the most common in anatomy laboratories worldwide and aims to interrupt destructive biological processes and allow the use of cadaveric parts for long periods ( Balta et al, 2015 ).…”

“…Thus, in view of the contamination risks, it is suggested that anatomic specimens’ donors or those not claimed, in the impossibility of testing for COVID-19, should not be preserved through cooling by HEIs schools ( Schnittler et al, 2019 ). However, several studies have revealed that most chemical agents routinely used in anatomy laboratories for embalming anatomic specimens such as alcohol, acetone, glutaraldehyde and formaldehyde are effective to inactivate SARS-CoV depending on temperature conditions and time period ( Darnell et al, 2004 ; Rabenau et al, 2005 ; Kariwa et al, 2006 ; Kampf et al, 2020 ).…”