Table 1.

Step‐by‐Step Protocol and Summary of Fixatives, Final Concentrations, and Required Conditions

Procedure	Amount of fixatives	Protocol, contents, and concentrations	Required conditions/instruments
Registration/cleaning		Check documentation, shave body hairs, then clean thoroughly
Cannulation of femoral artery		Supine positioning, head, and palms facing up (use nylon plates if necessary) Sharp incision into the femoral triangle (skin, fascia, ca. 100 mm), followed by blunt dissection Place sutures under proximal and distal end of exposed femoral artery Incise longitudinally the femoral artery with a 10‐mm incision	No. 4 scalpel handle, No. 21 scalpel blades, Adson forceps, dressing forceps, blunt/blunt curved scissors, retractors, aneurysm hooks
Body fixation	20 L of injection solution (70 kg cadaver; needs to be decreased or increased depending on individual cadaver)	Use standard cannula, first placing inferiorly into distal limb, then placing superiorly; make sure the unused side is sutured Perfuse cadaver until tissues become firm (“goose‐pimpled appearance”), and foam starts forming from the airways (mouth, nose) Recommended pressure settings: 1,500‐2,000 mm H2O or 0.2‐0.3 bars If perfusion seems unsuccessful use other sites (contralateral femoral artery, carotid artery), trocar for peripheral perfusion should only be used as a last resort Suture incisions Fill out report form Wrap corpse in body bag, store, and transport at ambient conditions	Metal cannula, needle holders, curved needles, injection pump, suture material
Brain fixation (can be done as part of the initial fixation or at a later stage)	20 ml formalin mixed with 100 ml injection solution	Bilateral: skin incision of 20 mm, 10‐15 mm lateral to median sagittal plane, drill 6‐mm hole and place a needle anteromedially through dura mater Remove cerebrospinal fluid and inject 50 ml (37% formaldehyde) Close burr hole with bee wax and suture	No. 4 scalpel handle, No. 21 scalpel blades, 6‐mm drill, bee wax, syringe
Conservation and long‐term storage	Phenoxyethanol (1 Vol%), optional Arquad‐75 (0.1 Vol%)	Place and seal in mattress bags for storage	Storage at room temperature (warehouse 10‐25°C), polyethylene foil
Treatment of mold growth	Phenoxyethanol (2.4 Vol%, 120 ml), Arquad‐75 (0.25 Vol%, 1.25 ml) in 5 L water	Spray suspected surfaces with 2% Trigene, and all specimens with the 2.4% phenoxyethanol solution, repeat once after 2 hours Clean thoroughly all containers and instruments