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intro to forsci > forensic medicine > Flashcards

forensic medicine Flashcards

1
Q

It is the termination of life. The cessation of all the vital functions of the body, without the
possibility of resuscitation. It is irreversible loss of the properties of living matter.

A

death

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2
Q

death occurs when there is irreversible coma, absence of electrical brain
activity and complete cessation of the vital functions without possibility of resuscitation.

A

Brain Death

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3
Q

death occurs when there is continuous and persistent cessation
of heart action and respiration.

A

Cardio-Respiratory Death

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4
Q

state of the body in which there is complete, persistent and
continuous cessation of the vital functions of the brain, heart and lungs which maintain life and
health; ultimen mariens.

A

Somatic Death or Clinical Death

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5
Q

refers to death of individual cells (3-6 hours later)

A

Molecular or Cellular Death

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6
Q

Not really death but merely a transient
loss of consciousness or temporary cessation of the vital functions of the body on account of
disease, external stimulus or other forms of influence; May arise especially in hysteria, uremia,
catalepsy and electric shock, drowning, still-birth.

A

“Apparent Death” or “State of Suspended Animation”

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7
Q

Is the disease, injury or combination of disease and injury responsible for the fatality

A

cause of death

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8
Q

Any injury or disease that produces a physiological derangement in the body that results in the
individual dying

A

cause of death

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9
Q

GSW of the head, SW of the chest, lung carcinoma, coronary atherosclerosis

A

cause of death

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10
Q

Is that which, in a natural and continuous sequence unbroken by any efficient intervening cause,
produces the end result and without which the end result would not have occurred

can stand alone

A

underlying or proximate cause of death

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11
Q

The underlying COD should be an etiologically-specific disease or injury that triggered the chain
of events leading to death and without which death would not have occurred

A

underlying or proximate cause of death

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12
Q

A disease or condition that occurred as a result of the underlying cause of death but was not the
final complication or immediate cause of death.

may not be identifiable in all cases.

A

Antecedent Cause of Death (Intervening or Intermediate)

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13
Q

Is the final complication resulting from the underlying cause of death, occurring closest to the time
of death and directly causing death.

A

Immediate Cause of Death

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14
Q

A complication of the underlying cause interposed between proximate causation and fatal result

A

Immediate Cause of Death

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15
Q

Are the alterations of physiology and biochemistry whereby the causes exert their lethal effect

A

mechanism of death

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16
Q

Physiological derangement produced by the COD that results in death

Never etiologically-specific

A

mechanism of death

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17
Q

Hemorrhage, sepsis, cardiac arrhythmias, congestive heart failure, asphyxia

A

mechanism of death

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18
Q

Hemopericardium with cardiac tamponade (mechanism) due to ruptured infarct of myocardium
(immediate cause) due to arteriosclerotic heart disease (underlying cause)

A

example langs

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19
Q

It refers to the circumstances that led to death.

It is an explanation of how the cause of death came about, either natural or violent

A

manner of death

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20
Q

Accidents, suicide, homicide and therapeutic complication

A

manner of death

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21
Q

reflects an opinion based on available information: Activity just before death,
recent symptoms, previous medical records, scene investigation and other pertinent information

A

manner of death

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22
Q

those caused exclusively (100%) by disease

A

Natural deaths

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23
Q

Accidents, homicide or suicide

A

Violent deaths

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24
Q

someone else did something wrong that set in motion a process that resulted in the person’s death

A

homicide

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25
Q

the person did something that resulted in his or her death, and this was
more or less what the person intended

A

suicide

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26
Q

deaths resulted from some kind of unplanned, unintended injury

A

accident

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27
Q

arise from predictable complications of diagnostic
and therapeutic procedures

nonjudgmental and non-accusatory

not medical malpractice

A

therapeutic complication

28
Q

When the circumstances and findings leave reasonable doubt about the classification

A

undetermined

29
Q

there is insufficient information about the circumstances surrounding the death to
make a ruling, or in some instances when the COD is unknown

A

undetermined

30
Q

Those deaths where the all available facts related to the death investigation fail to allow for
a reasonable classification using the traditional designated manners.

A

unclassified

31
Q

There is generally ample information available from the death investigation and there is
unlikely to be additional information that could be made available to influence manner
determination.

A

unclassified

32
Q

If I wrongfully bite you, and you go to the hospital and is rightfully treated with penicillin, and you
die of anaphylaxis (allergic reaction) as a result of the penicillin injection

A

homicide

33
Q

If a person shoots himself, and spends six months in the hospital recovering, and dies of a
pulmonary embolus from being at bed rest for so long,

A

still suicide

34
Q

If a person dies of Pseudomonas sepsis (generalized infection) while undergoing a bone marrow
transplant for leukemia,

A

therapeutic complication

35
Q

Changes in the muscle after death
Postmortem rigidity
Stiffening of death

A

Rigor Mortis

36
Q

A chemical reaction that causes rigidity in the muscle groups or stiffening of the body after death
due to the disappearance or depletion of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) from the muscle

A

Rigor Mortis

37
Q

occurs because metabolic activity continues in the muscles after death. ATP is needed
to maintain the relaxation of the muscles. So long as the store of glycogen in the muscle is
sufficient to permit the regeneration of ATP by the formation of lactic acid, the muscle remains
lax.

A

Rigor Mortis

38
Q

Usually appears 2-4 hrs after death
Fully develops in 6-12 hrs
Muscles return to a near-flaccid state in approximately 24-36 hours

A

Rigor Mortis

39
Q

The onset of rigor mortis is accelerated – due to exertion, epileptic seizure, fever or high body
temperature, some poisons (eg. strychnine)

A

true

40
Q

May indicate whether a body has been moved after death → If a body is moved to another location
while in full rigor, it will remain in its original position until rigor passes

A

true

41
Q

exposure to temperature above 75‟ (placed in boiling water or burned to
death), coagulate the muscle proteins causing the muscles to be rigid. Body assumes a
“pugilistic attitude” (lower and upper extremities flexed, and hands clenched.

A

heat stiffening

42
Q

stiffening is due to the solidification of fats when exposed to freezing
temperature.

A

Cold Stiffening

43
Q

the instantaneous rigidity of the muscles which
occurs at the moment of death due to extreme nervous tension, exhaustion, and injury to
the nervous system or to the chest.

immediately after death

Only certain group of muscles; asymmetrical

may or may not appear

A

Cadaveric Spasm or Instantaneous Rigor

44
Q

known as postmortem lividity (PML) / cadaveric lividity / postmortem hypostasis /
postmortem sugillation

A

Livor Mortis

45
Q

Setting of blood in the dependent regions of the body following death

Gravitational pooling of blood

A

Livor Mortis

46
Q

Blood still fluid in form inside blood vessels for 6-8 hours

Changes as position of the body change (PML is UNFIXED)

A

Hypostatic lividity

47
Q

Coagulated inside blood vessels or diffused into tissues

Change in position will not change its location (PML is FIXED)

A

Diffusion lividity

48
Q

Evident within 30 minutes to 2 hrs. after death → Intensifies over time

Becomes “fixed” in approximately 8-12 hrs → If a body is moved before that times, it will shift

A

Livor Mortis

49
Q

In asphyxia, the lividity is

A

dark

50
Q

Hydrocyanic acid

A

bright red

51
Q

Phosphorus

A

dark brown

52
Q

deaths due to carbon

monoxide (CO), exposure to cold temperatures and in deaths due to cyanide poisoning.

A

cherry red to pinkish colo

53
Q

The cooling of the body after death

A

Algor Mortis

54
Q

Body cools following death at approximately 1.5F or 1C per hour → under normal conditions
and assuming the body’s temperature at death is 98.6F or 37C

A

true

55
Q

Involves two processes: autolysis and putrefaction

A

decomposition

56
Q

Aseptic tissue breakdown due to action of enzymes (prominent in pancreas)

Auto-digestive changes after death

A

autolysis

57
Q

Tissue breakdown due to bacteria

Breakdown of complex proteins into simpler components, associated with the evolution of
foul-smelling gases due to bacteria

Lag phase of 3-4 hrs.

A

Putrefaction

58
Q

Putrefaction + autolysis

  • Producing gas (fermentation)
  • Emergence of decompositional fluid (purge fluid) from nose and mouth
  • Color change (Hb breakdown)
A

Wet decomposition

59
Q

Dehydration of the whole body which results in the shrinking and preservation of the body.

A

Mummification (dry decomposition)

60
Q

Softening of the tissues when in fluid medium in the absence of microorganism, ex. Death of
fetus in utero

A

Maceration

61
Q

Condition wherein fatty tissues are transformed into soft brownish-white substance known as
adipocere (waxy material, rancid or moldy in odor, floats in water, dissolves in ether or
alcohol).

A

Adipocere Formation or Saponification

62
Q

As the time since death increases, it also increases in the vitreous

A

K+ level

63
Q

determined by the degree and rapidity of decomposition rather than the time
interval from death→ anything that hastens decomposition

A

K+ level

64
Q

“PMI can be approximated by the state of digestion of the stomach contents. It normally takes at
least a couple of hours for foods to pass from the stomach to the small intestines; a meal still
largely in the stomach implies death shortly after eating, while an empty or nearly-empty stomach
suggests a longer time period between eating and death”

A

true/Stomach contents

65
Q

Non-scientific markers
- though “unscientific”, it is often more accurate than determinations made by “scientific”
means
- Pile of newspaper in front of the house
- Uncollected mails
- Dated receipt or slips of paper in the deceased’s pockets
- ATM/Credit card transaction

A

Environment factors

66
Q

Scientific markers

  • Insect activity
  • Decomposition
A

Environment factors

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