{"id":16436,"date":"2021-04-22T09:30:49","date_gmt":"2021-04-22T13:30:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newsroom.ocfl.net\/?p=16436"},"modified":"2022-01-12T12:06:57","modified_gmt":"2022-01-12T17:06:57","slug":"high-tech-forensics-orange-osceola-medical-examiner-first-to-use-virtual-anatomy-dissection-table","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newsroom.ocfl.net\/2021\/04\/high-tech-forensics-orange-osceola-medical-examiner-first-to-use-virtual-anatomy-dissection-table\/","title":{"rendered":"High-Tech Forensics: Orange\/Osceola Medical Examiner First to Use Virtual Anatomy Dissection Table"},"content":{"rendered":"

When the Orange County & Osceola\u2019s District Nine Medical Examiner\u2019s Office<\/a> moved to its new facility on Michigan Street in 2009, the building was equipped with a room designed for a CT scanner, featuring \u00a0lead-lined walls to protect practitioners from radiation. A new addition to their high-tech toolbox is the purchase of the Anatomage Virtual Anatomy Dissection Table<\/a>. It is the only medical examiner\u2019s office in the country to own this remarkable machine.<\/p>\n

The impetus to acquire the table, which basically transforms 2D images into 3D images, came from Medical Examiner Joshua Stephany, M.D., who first saw the device in Tennessee while shooting a TV pilot for NBC Universal. \u201cThey had it on set for me to pretend I was looking at it,\u201d he said, \u201cbut I saw what it could do and was extremely impressed.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dr. Stephany believed it would be a useful tool to use in tandem with the office\u2019s CT images for the forensic pathology setting.\u00a0He had Sheri Blanton, forensic senior program manager, submit a proposal to the County\u2019s Public Safety Grants Coordination Committee for the 2018 Edward Byrne Memorial Grant<\/a> cycle.<\/p>\n

The office was notified by the committee in August 2018 that the $61,000 table was on the list of selected projects. The Mayor and Board of County Commissioners officially approved the grant award in February 2019.\u00a0The bid for the table was pushed out in April 2020, and, after some unavoidable COVID-19 delays, it was finally installed on January 13, 2021.<\/p>\n

\u201cOrange County understands what our office does and what we need,\u201d said Dr. Stephany. \u201cAnytime we ask for something that will make things easier and more efficient, the County has been very supportive. If we can show it will benefit our residents and help our office, it\u2019s always willing to work with us.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Anatomage Table has traditionally been used in medical schools as a teaching tool, and District Nine is the first to use it for post-mortem studies. By rotating and resolving images with a touch screen, one can more accurately examine soft tissue and bones. According to Dr. Stephany, the machine allows him and his staff to do their work \u201ca lot cleaner.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe can see damage to an individual, such as coronary artery disease, broken bones and traumas, without having to dissect injuries,\u201d he explained. \u201cAs a supplement to the autopsy, it\u2019s incredibly helpful. In both Jewish and Muslim faiths, families are opposed to autopsies, and even though we\u2019re allowed to do it by law, we don\u2019t want to upset families if we don\u2019t have to. So if we see something with this machine, sometimes we can avoid it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dr. Stephany says the goal is to teach all appropriate personnel how to use it like it\u2019s second nature to them. \u201cWe aren\u2019t aware of everything it can do for us yet,\u201d he said. \u201cThere are so many applications; we\u2019re going to make the most of this incredible machine.\u201d<\/p>\n

The District Nine Medical Examiner\u2019s Office serves both the public and judicial needs of Orange and Osceola Counties. For more information, go to Medical Examiner\u2019s Office<\/a> webpage. For more on the Anatomage Virtual Anatomy Dissection Table, go to Anatomage<\/a>\u2019s webpage.<\/p>\n