Human Embalming Techniques With Organ Preservation: An Update and Literature Review

The present review focuses on the importance of modern embalming techniques for human cadaveric preservation, comparing recent innovations with other methods and their historical evolution. Early approaches to human embalming for medical purposes presented significant limitations. During the past century, formaldehyde became widely adopted due to its low cost and high preservation efficiency. However, its use has been progressively restricted in modern laboratories because of the considerable health risks to professionals and its limitations in maintaining the organic properties of tissues. Consequently, more recent alternative preservation methods have been increasingly explored and considered within contemporary anatomical practice. We performed a thorough literature review in search of the best alternatives to formaldehyde for human cadaveric conservation with histological preservation. Eight of the recent studies under analysis propose ameliorations of older techniques, while others enhance the performance of original innovations in embalming techniques. The results show that none of these innovations demonstrates complete efficiency to substitute formaldehyde. It is, therefore, urgent to develop new alternative embalming techniques that are able to preserve the histologic integrity of human cadaveric material while preserving the biosafety of professional handlers.