Exam 3 Flashcards
OSHA requires that the deceased’s face be covered whenever being moved. Why?
Purge
Have proper hazard protection available, which are these
Drench shower, eye wash, fire extinguisher
This should be poured on HCHO spills
Ammonia
When HCHO is spilled, ammonia should be poured onto and cleaned up with cold water, then placed in an air tight bag. Why?
Fumes will still be released
Never use HCHO based chemicals as an antiseptic. Why?
HCHO is a preservative, and suitable only for dead tissue
Bleach and HCHO mixed with a catalyst can cause what?
Bischloromethyl Ether (BCME)
Pour embalming chemicals in the tank ________ the water has been added
After
Why should embalming chemicals be added after the water has been added?
To decrease fumes/aerosolization
____________ are liquid agents, solutions of solids, liquids, and gases which can be injected into the body arterially or hypodermically or can be applied to the surface as a spray, wash, or pack
Embalming fluids
The main chemical compounds common to all embalming solutions are
Formaldehyde and Methyl Alcohol
What are the two other names for methyl alcohol
Methanol
Wood Alcohol
OL =
Alcohol
AL =
Aldehyde
The fundamental purpose of embalming fluid is
Vascular Injection
Embalming fluid or embalming chemicals are subdivided into these categories
Arterial fluid
Cavity Fluid
Fluid injected for purposes other than preservation and disinfection
Supplemental Fluids
Supplemental fluids generally fall into one of three categories. What are they?
Pre-Injection
Co-Injection
Humectants
What are the 9 types of supplemental fluids?
Pre-Injection Co-Injection Bleaching Agents Astringent Fluids Edematous Fluids Germicide Enhancers Humectants Water Conditioners Active Dyes
Fluids that can be injected prior to the arterial solution being injected
Pre-Injection
What are the two examples of pre-injection?
Anticoagulants and Water conditioners
All pre-injection fluid can be used as _________
Co-Injection
Fluids that are injected simultaneously with the arterial fluid
Co-Injection
What are the examples of co-injection fluid?
Active Dyes Water Conditioners Anticoagulants Humectants Edematous Fluids
Not all co-injection fluids can be used as _______
Pre-Injection fluids
A co-injection that cannot be used as a pre-injection is a
Humectant
These fluids can sometimes be used as a co-injection (rarely) or by themselves topically or hypodermically
Bleaching Agents
An example of a bleaching agent would be?
Phenol
Used for excessive moisture
Astringent Fluids
In what cases would astringent fluids be used?
Edema Excess moisture Tissue Gas Trauma Cases Advanced Decomposition
Astringent fluids are _______ solutions
Hypotonic
These are used to draw out the excess moisture when edema/anasarca are a concern
Edematous Fluids
Edematous fluids are _______ solutions
Hypertonic
Fluids that destroy some bacteria but not spores
Germicide Enhancers
Most often, these are used in conjunction with preservatives
Germicide Enhancers
These render the food medium undesirable
Germicide Enhancers
Add/retain moisture
Humectants
Humectants are ________ solutions
Hypotonic
Treat the minerals in the water (especially well-water) and also serve a double purpose as an anti-coagulant
Water Conditioners
These are used to impart a stain within the tissues to create a more life-like appearance (Memory Picture)
Active Dyes
Hypotonic solutions in embalming do what?
Put fluids into tissues
Hypertonic solutions in embalming do what?
Pulls fluid out
Chemically, is there a difference between pre-injection and co-injection?
No, the only difference is when you use them
The function of this is to be united with the tissue cells to create a state of preservation
Arterial Fluid
Preservation is accomplished by this
Tissue Coagulation
The solidification of the tissue cell protoplasm
Tissue Coagulation
This will cause the tissue cells to be converted into a gel or resinous substance which is unfit for bacterial food
Tissue Coagulation
The tissue cells will be soft but solid and resistant to decomposition
Conversion of insoluble albumin to insoluble albuminoids
The purpose of arterial fluids is to
Disinfect, preserve, and firm the tissues of the dead without causing objectionable changes in the skin or tissues
Classification of arterial fluid is by
Index and Color
The amount of formaldehyde measured in grams dissolved in 100 milliliters of water
Index
High Index Arterial Fluid is an index range of what?
28-36+
What do you use a High Index arterial fluid for?
Advanced Decomposition Delayed Burial Firm tissue for restorative work Excessive Moisture (Edema/Anasarca) Excessive Adipose Tissue Trauma cases where treatment requires drying of tissues for reconstruction
High index arterial fluid often causes ___________
Dehydration or tissue burning
High index arterial fluid will cause tissue to darken, which is
HCHO grey
Moderate Index fluid ranges from
20-25
When would you use Moderate Index fluids?
Average cases
Normal moisture content
Moderate index fluids usually contain
Active Dyes
Moderate Index fluids may contain a lanolin base
Humectant
Most of the so-called cosmetic arterial fluids are in this group
Moderate Index Fluid
Slow firmer, flexible, moderate, or rubbery firmness
Moderate Index Fluid
Moderate Index fluids cause little _____________
Dehydration
Mild Index (Weak) fluids have a range of
10-15 index
Non-hardening, non-firming, or slightly firming fluids are
Mild Index Fluids
Mild Index fluids contain a __________- amount of HCHO
Minimum
Mild Index arterial fluids produces a minimum rigidity, and it is used on whom?
Frail
Elderly
Infants
Emaciated Cases
Jaundice fluids have a _______ index
Low
Jaundice cases are usually edematous, and _______ is not present, so the blood is thin, which means they generally drain well
Fibrogen
Bilirubin turns to biliverdin in jaundice cases because of what?
High HCHO index and an acidic environment
There are 2 classifications of arterial fluid by color. What are they
Cosmetic Fluids
Non-Cosmetic Fluids
These contain active dyes that impart a color change on the body tissues of the deceased
Cosmetic Fluids
When using cosmetic fluids, where should you inject?
Femoral Artery
Contain inactive dyes that do not impart a color change on the body tissues of the deceased
Non-Cosmetic Fluids
In 1859, he published an accurate description of formaldehyde solution, formaldehyde gas, and formaldehyde polymerization, but had no clue what to do with it
Alexander Mikhailovich Butlerov (1828-1866) Russian
In 1868, he prepared formaldehyde by passing a mixture of methanol vapors and air over a heated platinum spiral
August Wilhelm Von Hoffman
His preparation clearly established both the structure and identity of formaldehyde as the first member of the aldehyde group, but he had no idea what to do with it
August Wilhelm Von Hoffman (1818-1892) German
These two people are credited with the discovery of formaldehyde, but neither associated its potential use with preservation
Butlerov and Von Hoffman
In 1888 he determined that HCHO could be used as a preservative
J. Auguste Trillat
He observed the disinfectant properties of HCHO gases produced by burning sugar
J. Auguste Trillat
Between 1895-1920, most states outlawed the use of what?
Metallic Poisons in embalming
Metallic Poisons are also called what?
Salts of Heavy Metals
Salts of heavy metals include what?
Alum Zinc Sulfate Bichloride of mercury Aluminum Chloride Arsenic
By World War 1, the use of metallic salts were completely converted to
Formaldehyde
Why were metallic salts outlawed?
They can cover up murder
Embalmers were killing themselves due to not wearing gloves
Why were embalmers resistant to formaldehyde?
Formaldehyde made the bodies hard, but embalmers were used to the soft pliability of metal poisons
HCHO or CH2O belong to a class of organic compounds called
Aldehydes
Describe formalin
40% formaldehyde by volume
37% formaldehyde by weight
7% methyl Alcohol
The four major types of preservative chemicals on bodily tissues are
Aldehydes
Alcohols
Phenols
Formaldehyde Donor Compounds
Preservative chemicals inactivate chemical groups of
Amino acids
Preservatives inhibit further ________
Decomposition
Preservatives inactivate enzymes, thus preventing further autolysis
Acid Hydrolase
Preservatives either kill ____________ or deter their growth
Microogranisms
Preservatives destroy ________ and eliminates their further production
Odors
Preservation by formaldehyde is accomplished by formaldehyde reacting directly with what?
Water, methanol, amino acids, and proteins
Formaldehyde reacts indirectly with what?
Fat
When HCHO gas is mixed with water, most of it is converted into
Methylene Glycol
Methanol acts as an ______________ in embalming fluids
Anti-Polymerizing agent
This acts as an anti-polymerizing angent in embalming fluids
Methanol
Methanol bonds these molecules (3) together, making them less susceptible to decomposition
Carbohydrates, sugar, and proteins
Amino Acids are much _____ units than proteins
Smaller
HCHO can react with free amines and can combine ___ different amino groups in a single compound deterring decomposition
2
If ammonia forms, fluid will have _______
No effect
Household ammonia will ______ formalin formaldehyde
Neutralize
What does sunlight do to cavity fluid?
Breaks down ammonia
The primary chemical actions of HCHO in embalming is what?
The coagulation of protein
The resulting changes in protein brought about by HCHO and other coagulating agents are
Viscosity of protein is increased
Embalmed tissue is now rigid as a result of the cross-linking action bonding molecules together
The resistance to digestion of protein by enzymes is increased
The water sensitivity and water solubility are decreased
The indirect action of HCHO on fats actually involves the preservation of a ______
Matrix
The preservation action of HCHO works by cross-linking what?
Nitrogen atoms
Fat lack nitrogen atoms, but fatty tissue is embedded in nitrogen rich and protein rich ___________
Connective tissue
Formaldehyde turns soluble albumins into
Insoluble Albuminoids
Coagulation of protein is brough about through denaturation of the protein by cross-linking the peptide bonds of adjacent ______________
Polypeptide Chains
Unembalmed tissue is what?
Pliable and flexible
Embalmed tissue is rigid as a result of this
Cross-Linking of protein
HCHO cross links far more than Gluteraldehyde. Why?
Gluteraldehyde is larger than formaldehyde, which means it cannot penetrate as well as Formaldehyde, leading to less cross linkage of proteins
This is a cold chemical sterilant
QUATS
Gluteraldehyde is a cold chemical sterilant, but when given the option of this, this is the best answer
QUATS
Cross-linkage of protein removes a molecule of _____ for every cross-link that is formed
Water
The presence of an abundance of water may reverse this process by doing what?
Hydrolyzing the cross-linkages
The embalming results may be reversed by the presence of an excess amount of this
Water
If there is an excess amount of water present in the body, how can you counter act it?
High index and edematous fluids
The total amount of HCHO with which protein will combine to be completely preserved
Formaldehyde Demand
After hydrolysis breaks the individual peptide bonds, each amino group will react with a HCHO molecule, effectively doing what?
Doubling the HCHO demand
As the remains decompose, it becomes necessary to increase both what?
Volume and strength of the arterial fluid solution
It is imperative to embalm as soon as possible. The longer a person is dead, the more what?
HCHO is demanded to firm/preserve
If the embalming solution is too concentrated, what will happen to the capillaries in the tissues?
They will be seared and sealed by the HCHO
If the embalming solution is too concentrated, the capillaries in the tissues will be seared and sealed by the HCHO, thus effectively inhibiting diffusion of the fluid into the tissues by doing what?
Walling off the unexposed areas
The key to preservation of tissue by HCHO is the ___________________ of the fluid
Distribution and Diffusion
Refers to the movement of fluid from the point of injection to the tissues
Distribution
Describes the movement of fluid into the tissues
Diffusion
Chemicals used as preservatives change the basic nature of what?
Protein molecules
The amount of aldehyde that is taken up by the protein molecule depends on these five interrelated factors
Concentration pH Effect of chemical compounds on aldehyde Temperature Condition of the tissues
What qualities could a germicide used in embalming display?
Solubility
Penetrability
Compatability
Stability
