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Kim Porter's 'Deferred' Cause Of Death Highlights How An Autopsy Can Lead To More Questions Than Answers

Here’s what happens during an autopsy.

Kim Porter passed away last Thursday (November 15), and the fact that she was 47 at the time of her death made it that much more tragic.

  • But as the days have gone by, people are beginning to scratch their heads over just what caused her to die and the care she received for illnesses leading up to her passing.

    Initially, it was reported that a cardiac arrest episode took her life. This came after a stint she spent under medical care for influenza that supposedly turned into pneumonia.

    The coroner's office then claimed that they would need to conduct an “additional investigation” and “deferred” an official cause of death before that could be concluded.

  • These developments had people wondering why answers surrounding Porter's death weren't readily available

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    So just what are coroners going to be looking for when examining Kim Porter? And will an autopsy actually satisfy the questions skeptics have about the model and actress’ sudden passing? According to LiveScience, coroners should do both an internal and external evaluation of a recently deceased individual and will make incisions to the body to examine organs and other body parts to find any irregularities that might have caused a death.

    “Tissue samples are taken from the organs, some of which may be also be sectioned, and stomach contents are frequently tested,” writes Nicholas Gerbis, a science journalist. “Pathologists and lab technicians also test bodily fluids — urine, blood, vitreous gel from the eyes, or bile from the gallbladder — for drugs, infection, chemical composition or genetic factors, depending on the purpose of the autopsy.

    “Pathologists will preserve parts of any organs they dissect, particularly if they find something unusual or abnormal,” he continues.

    Diddy’s ex-girlfriend and mother of three of his children died on Thursday after first responders were called to Porter’s Toluca Lake, California, home over a potential cardiac arrest episode. Foul play is not suspected.

     

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