Post-Mortem Changes & Wounds Flashcards
Factors affecting rate of cooling and its MLI
Takes 18-25 hrs, affected by: P: age, obesity, cause of death, E: clothing and weather.
MLI:
1. Rough estimation of time of death
2. Differentiate 1ry and 2ry flaccidity
3. Cause of death
4. Rapid cooling of dead body delays process of rigor mortis and decomposition.
MLI of hypostatsis
- Sure sign of death
- Estimation of time passed sice death, beigns 1-2 hrs intesifies gradually max at 6-8 hrs and becomes fixed.
- Distribution helps identify body position
- Detect changes of body position after death, within the first 2 hrs complete gravitation of blood occurs while between 2 and 8 hours incomplete gravitation of with hypostais at both new and old sites. While after 8 hours no further changes occur with change in position
- Detection of cause of death through colour, site and intesity.
- Lividity should be differentiated from cyanosis and bruises.
Mention factors affecting rigor mortis and its MLI
Factors: muscular built, environmental temperature, cause of death.
MLI:
1. Sure sign of death
2. Estimation of the time passed since death: starts after 2 hours from small muscles of face downwards, covers whole body within 12 hours remains constant for another 12 hours then passes off in same order of appearance.
3. Detection of cause of death
4.detection of time of death
MLI of cadaveric spasm
- Indicate that the person was alive at the time of instantaneous rigor
- The weapon of offense in suicide is grasped
- Part of clothing or hair of assailant in case of assault
- In drowning, grass, weed is clutched in hand indicating person was alive on entering the water
- Determine manner of detah
- Must be differentiated from rigor mortis
Mention factors affecting putrefaction and its MLI
P: age, cause of death, amount of subcutaneous aft, amount of blood in tissues
E: ventilation, temperature, humidity
MLI:
1. Determination of time passed since death: 1 day (S), 2 days (W) greenish discoloration right iliac fossa, during 1st week arborization all over the body and evolution of putrefactive gases, 2nd week tissue liquefaction appears at orifices and eggs of flies hatch, 6 months bones and ligamnets, 1 year bones only.
2. Determine the cause of death
3. Determine location of body after death
4. Identification of metal poisons
MLI of adipocere and mummification
- Personal identification
- Preservation ante-moretm injuriesl cause of death
- Denotes the location of the body (Ad>humid, Mum>desert)
- Estimation of the time passed since death (Ad begins 3-4 weeks compete after 6 months, Mum beings 1 week completed in 3-12 months.
Mention signs that should raise physician suspcion that the cause of death is unnatural
- Discrepency between the alleged time of death and PM chanes timing
- Abnormal color/site of hypostatsis, with hypostasis in multiple areas with denial of change in body position
- Presence of cadaveric spasm
- Presence of signs of violence
- Presence of manifestation of negligence to the deceased,s health esp in yund children and old age.
Mention important points in MLR of suspected unnatural death
- Description of any post-mortem change and its type
- External eye signs
- Rough estimation of ody temperature
- State of the muscles
- Correlation of all the present PM changes and rough estimation of time of death in relation to the given history
- Desciption of hypostasis
- Detailed description of any violence or injuries
MLI of abrasions
- May be the only injuries present over a deep seated internal injury especially in abdominal and chest trauma.
- Causative instrument
- Takes shape and breadth as human bite
- Type of crime
- Evidence of struggle and resistance
- Time passed since infliction
- Differentiate: hypostasis and contusion/ contused and cut wound/exit and inlet of firearm injuries
- Presence of foreign material along with abrasions may connect injuries to crime scene
Factors affecting size of bruises
- Age and sex
- Laxity (condition) of tissues and severity of blow
- Health condition and condition of blood vessels
- Colour of skin (affect apearance)
MLI of bruises
- Takes shape of causative agent
- The size and extent of the bruises is not related
- Site of bruise may or may not denote site of blow (e.g. black eye, battle sign, arounf ankle)
- Age of bruises (red, blue, brown, green, yellow> disappear) except in deep bruises of thick tissues and subconjuctival hge)
- Bruises should be differentiated from hypostasis. Bruises should be determined whether traumatic or pathological
MLI of bite marks
- Denote the type of crime sexual assualt, child abuse, fighting.
- It may be used for determination of blood group/DNA of assailant
- Teeth pattern can be compared with that of the assailant
MLI of Cut wounds
- Indicate the nature of weapon (sharp-edged)
- Give an idea about the direction of force application
- Position and character of wound give an idea aboutthe manner
- Age of injury can be determined from the healing stage
- May denote resistance and defense during an attack
MLI of stab wounds
- Shape of wound may indicate the type of weapon causing injury
- Depth of wound indicate force penetration
- Direction and dimensions of wound indicate reative positions of assailant and victim
- Age can be determined from healing stage
- If a broken fragment of weapon os found it will identify weapon and aconect it to assailant
- Position, number and direction of wounds can determine the manner
MLI of defence wounds
- Give informational bout the manner of infliction (homicidal)
- Evidence of defence and resistance
- Indicate that the victim was alive during the attack
- Give an idea about the causative instrument
- Defense wounds may be absnet if person was unconscious or under the effcect of drugs or alcohol
