Embalming IV: Quiz 1 Flashcards
What are the two meanings for discoloration?
- color is removed or lost
- to change color
Localized vs generalized discoloration
- Localized: Affecting a small area
- Generalized: Affecting large areas or entire body
Skin Layers
- Epidermis: outer layer of skin
- Dermal Layer: Middle layer of skin
How long does it take for livor mortis to begin?
- Appears 20-30 minutes after death and is well established after 6 hours
Post Embalming Treatments for the surface
- Formaldehyde and phenol solutions (on cotton)
- cream and gel preservative
Post Embalming Treatments: Hypodermic
- Phenol cautery
- Cavity Fluid
Steps for Hypodermic Post-Embalming Treatment of Discoloration
- Insert a hypodermic needle
- Repeatedly direct the needle through the discolored tissues prior to injecting any solution from the syringe (channeling)
- Inject the solution and apply digital pressure
- Allow the chemical to saturate the discolored tissues for 15-20 min.
- Dry and seal the needle holes with adhesive glue
Steps for Surface Post-Embalming Treatment of Discoloration
- Brush the surface of skin with autopsy gel/ saturated cotton
- Cover the compress with plastic
- Allow time for chemicals to penetrate skin
- Remove compresses and rinse area with water and dry the tissue
- Apply a surface adhesive to the affected area
Carbon Monoxide Poisoning
- Deaths from CO poisoning cause the skin to turn a cherry red color.
- The color is caused by carboxyhemoglobin
Skin Lesion
- Any traumatic or pathological change in the structure of the skin
- Blisters, herpes, ulcerations, pustules, boils, carbuncles and furuncles
How to Treat Pustular and Ulcerative Lesions
- Disinfect the surface of the lesion
- Open and drain or remove any material in the lesion
- clean the lesion and coat with autopsy gel/compress
- Embalm
- Check for preservation; hypodermic treatment may be necessary
- Dry the area with a solvent and force-dry with a hair dryer
How to embalm those who had blunt force trauma or mutilations
- use multipoint injection (some vessels may be damaged)
- hypodermic or surface embalming may be needed
- use strong arterial
- use dyes to trace distribution
Jaundice
- a condition produced when excess amounts of bilirubin circulating in the blood stream dissolve in the subcutaneous fat
3 Types of Jaundice
- prehepatic
- hepatocellular
- posthepatic
Treatments for jaundice
- Use restricted cervical
- jaundice fluid, pre-injection, mild arterial solution, non-formaldehyde fluid, bleaching co-injection solution, cavity fluid can be used
Complications of Diabetes for the Embalmer
- renal failure
- poor peripheral circulation
- gangrene in the distal extremities
- use a strong arterial, co-injection fluids and active dye
What does uric acid do to the embalming solution
neutralizes formaldehyde
Dehydration Differences
Thoroughly embalmed tissues dehydrate less than under embalmed tissues
Razor Burn
- an abrasion where the face/skin is nicked during shaving
Best Time to Shave the Deceased
- After permission from the family
- Should be completed before the embalming
Types of Edema
- anasarca: generalized edema
- Ascites: edema of the abdomen
- Hydrothorax: edema of the thoracic cavity
- Hydropericardium: edema in the heart cavity
- Hydrocele: edema of the scrotum
- Hydrocephalus: edema of cerebrospinal fluid in brain
Types of Arteriosclerosis
- Arteriosclerosis: pathological condition causing the arterial wall to thicken, harden, and lose elasticity
- Type 1
- Type 2
- Type 3
Type 1 Arteriosclerosis
- the intimal wall of the artery is thickened but the lumen is well defined
- use a standard cannula
- unrestricted injection is expected
Type 2 Arteriosclerosis
- Vessel walls are thickened and or hardened
- Lumen size is reduced and off-center
- Use a smaller gauge cannula
Type 3 Arteriosclerosis
- Lumen is completely obstructed and the artery can not be used for injection
- Canalization occurs: tiny pathways or canals within the vessel allow for the passage of blood
- Collarteral circulation can circumvent a blockage and continue to circulate blood beyond the area of occlusion
What artery should be used for arteriosclerosis embalming?
common carotids because they are usually less affected by arteriosclerosis
- use low pressure and low rate of flow
- if distribution is not good, increase arterial solution strength
- Can use multipoint injection
- Use co-injection fluids and dye
- use firm massage
- Lower hands and feet below the sides of the table
What should the emablmer do if the femoral or other artery is sclerotic
- do not force the cannula in because the lumen will break
- choose to inject in an area that is not sclerotic and incise to insert the cannula
- use a cotton ligature or hemostat to secure the cannula (not linen suture because it is too strong)
What is the center for fluid circulation?
the aorta
What body structures are the last to decompose?
Arteries (Vessels) are the last to decompose
Valvular Heart Diseases
- Three common types: regurgitation, stenosis, and atresia.
- Others: congenital malformation, bacterial damage, degenerative diseases
- Heart valve diseases can cause problems in any of the heart’s four valves: the aortic, mitral, pulmonary, and tricuspid valves
Left Atrioventricular/Mitral Valve/ Bicuspid
Valve that allows blood to pass from the left atrium to the left ventricle
Right Atrioventricular/Tricuspid
- Valve that opens from the right atrium into the right ventricle
Pulmonary Semilunar Valve
- a tricuspid valve that opens to allow blood to flow from the right ventricle into the lungs via the pulmonary artery
Aortic Semilunar
- A tricuspid valve that opens into the aorta from the left ventricle
What happens when the mitral and the aortic semilunar valves are damaged
The pressure from the embalming solution moved from the aorta into the left ventricle and then into the left atrium.
The left atrium receives the pulmonary veins from the lungs
- the pulmonary veins do not have valves so the embalming solution passes back into the capillaries of the lungs
- This action causes purge of embalming solution from the lungs
Vasodilation vs. Vasoconstriction
- Vasodilation: one side of the body receives fluid
- Vasoconstriction: other side of the body does not receive fluid
- Half of the body will embalm extremely well, other does not embalm well.
- multipoint injection is needed
Vasoconstriction
- narrowing of a blood vessel
- stroke or other disorders can cause vasoconstriction
- multipoint injection is needed
Tumor
- Benign or malignant growth of cells
- Pressure may be exerted on the outside of an artery/vein
- Distribution and drainage may be difficult
Tuberculosis
- Infection of the lungs by mycobacterium tuberculosis and may spread to other organs
- Cavitation may result: small vessels and capillaries will rupture
- great loss of arterial solution through purge
- Untreated dehydration and emaciation may be present
Thrombosis
- Blood clots attached to the inner wall of a blood vessel
- distribution may be difficult
- If in vein, drainage will be difficult
Syphilis
- Venereal disease caused by treponema pallidum
- aneurysms may occur in arteries
- rupture can make distribution impossible
Dry Gangrene
- poor arterial circulation into the area of the body, causing death of body cells
- Distribution of arterial solution into the affected area is impossible
- use hypodermic and surface embalming
Freezing (postmortem)
- Cooling of the body to the point where ice crystals form in body tissues
- small vessels and tissues easily swell on injection of solution
Febrile Diseases
- A diseases/condition accompanied by an elevation of body temperature
- Decomposition is speeded up
- possible dehydration
- Blood may coagulate and cause congestion
- Distribution and drainage may be hard
Extracerebral clot/Stroke
- A clot usually in carotid that stops blood supply to the brain
- clot may occlude artery
- blockage may occlude carotid and cause vasoconstriction
Esophageal Varices
- swollen, tortuous veins caused by a stagnation of blood and generally seen on superficial veins
- Drainage may be difficult
- rupture and purge may occur
