It’s Not Just the Machine: How Modern Equipment Can Elevate the Embalmer’s Work

By Amanda Marie Eilis King, CFSP, MBIT, MSP

Recently I traveled to another prep room to assist with a particularly challenging reconstruction case. Although the facility had an embalming machine available, I chose to bring a piece of equipment that I've become familiar with and trust in my work: my Frigid embalming machine.\

That decision came from thinking about a larger question in funeral service: When modern technology can help us achieve a more thorough, consistent, and controlled embalming, shouldn’t we be taking advantage of it?

Our profession is built on a fundamental responsibility: to care for the deceased with skill, dignity, and respect. Every case presents its own challenges, and every embalmer develops a combination of knowledge, experience, technique, and trust in equipment that helps them meet those challenges. As technology continues to evolve, I believe we have a responsibility to understand what modern equipment can offer, and not because technology replaces the embalmer, but because it can help us become better embalmers.

There is an old saying in funeral service: “It’s not the machine; it’s the embalmer.”

Yeah, yeah, I get it. I fully understand the sentiment. A machine cannot assess a case (at least not yet). It cannot recognize subtle changes in tissue, nor determine why a particular area is not receiving adequate solution. It cannot decide whether to change injection pressure, alter drainage, or modify a chemical approach. A machine doesn't exercise judgment, nor does it have the experience or technique required of an embalmer to achieve the art of restoring the deceased. But achieving success in the prep room isn't just about what we're capable of doing, it's also about removing every obstacle that stands between us and the best possible outcome we can achieve.

It may be the embalmer who does the work, but the right equipment can help the embalmer do that work better. If modern technology can remove variables, provide information, improve consistency, or make the process safer, why wouldn't we want to understand and utilize it? That doesn't mean every funeral home needs the newest equipment available, and it doesn’t mean older equipment is incapable of producing excellent results. Skilled embalmers have produced extraordinary work with relatively simple equipment for generations. Rather, it means we should avoid dismissing technological advancements simply because “we've always done it this way.”

One of the features I particularly appreciate about Frigid’s modern embalming machine is its continuous mixing throughout the arterial injection. That might sound like a small mechanical detail, but that consistency is actually vital for a thorough embalming. Continuous mixing while injecting helps maintain a more homogeneous solution from the beginning of the injection to the end. I no longer need to worry about the heavier molecules of one fluid settling to the bottom of the tank and therefore being injected first, thus meaning that they may not reach further areas within the body by the time the second half of the fluid is injected.

Another feature I find myself thriving with is the real-time rate of flow monitoring. Inevitably, arterial solution might hit a blockage or compromised vessels during the injection process, and we’ll need to pivot either by adjusting the pressure/rate of flow or to a different injection point. It’s up to the embalmer to interpret the best course of action with a careful analysis of what they’re witnessing in front of them. But real-time flow information gives the embalmer another piece of information to interpret. If the rate of flow changes unexpectedly, I can see that change immediately by the numbers on the digital screen dropping and then investigate what may be happening rather than relying solely on what I can observe externally. The machine isn't making the decision for me, but it's giving me information so I can make a better decision. It’s giving me data. While technology shouldn’t replace clinical judgment or embalming experience, it can absolutely support those things. And the more concrete information we have while working, the more informed our decisions can become.

An additional valuable and practical feature of this particular machine is that you can run phenol through it without damaging the mechanical components and therefore can inject cavity fluid with it. My initial praise of this feature is that it creates a safer environment, improved from the cavity injector or gravity injector. Funeral service has changed considerably in our understanding of occupational safety over the years. We know more today about chemical exposure, infection control, and workplace hazards than previous generations did (which is why I personally am confused on why wearing a respirator is even still up for debate in the prep room, but I digress…). Modern equipment should be viewed through that same lens. Meanwhile, for others, there’s also convenience in this feature.

So why did I put an embalming machine in my car and drive it to another prep room? Because I could. And because I knew that for this particular case, I wanted every reasonable advantage available to me. I've also been taught to approach cases by considering the question: If something goes wrong, can I explain why I made the decisions I made? That doesn't mean embalming defensively or allowing fear of liability to dictate every decision, but it does mean understanding my responsibility and being able to articulate my choices.

We should be willing to question our routines, and not because everything we've learned is wrong, but because there may be better ways of accomplishing the same goal. We should be willing to learn what new equipment can achieve before deciding that it isn't necessary. And we should be willing to recognize that embracing technology doesn't diminish the careful art of embalming. We as embalmers remain responsible for assessing each case, making decisions, adapting techniques, interpreting what is happening, and ultimately restoring the deceased. The equipment we choose to use is there to support that work. And yes, that does also include your favorite aneurysm hook.

To me, being a good embalmer is actually about being a thoughtful embalmer and using every appropriate resource available to you to care for the deceased as well as you possibly can. And if that means putting an embalming machine in the back of your car before heading to a case? Well, that's exactly what I did.