Test 4 Lecture Notes Flashcards
Autolysis (physical or chemical change?)
Chemical change
Postmortem caloricity -aka postmortem fever (Physical or chemical change?)
Chemical change
Algormortis (Physical or chemical change?)
Physical change
Postmortem blood changes (physical or chemical changes?)
- hypostasis (physical change)
- increase in viscosity of blood (physical change)
- hemolysis (chemical change)
- coagulation or clotting (physical change)
Change in tissue pH (physical or chemical change?)
Chemical change
Rigor mortis A.k.a. cadaveric rigidity (chemical change or physical change?)
Actually a physiochemical change, but if it is between chemical and physical the answer would be chemical change
Imbibition (Physical or chemical change?)
Physical change
Dehydration or desiccation (physical or chemical change?)
Physical change
General decomposition (physical or chemical change?)
Chemical change (All types of general decomp are chemical changes)
Postmortem physical changes are brought about by three events:
1) stoppage of blood circulation
2) gravitation of blood to the dependent parts of the body
3) environmental surface evaporation
Five postmortem physical changes
1) Algor mortis
2) Hypostasis
3) Livor Mortis
4) dehydration
5) increase in blood viscosity
Postmortem chemical changes are a result of
Definite chemical reactions in which new end products and byproducts are formed in the dead human body
Five postmortem chemical changes
1) change in pH
2) postmortem stain – hemolysis
3) postmortem caloricity
4) rigor mortis
5) General decomposition
10 types of general decomposition
- hydrolysis
- Lipolysis
- proteolysis
- Autolysis
- saccharolysis
- fermentation
- oxidation
- hemolysis
- decay
- putrefaction
Algor mortis
The postmortem cooling of the body to the surrounding temperature
The internal organs cool much ______than the surface tissue of the body
Slower
Intrinsic factors that govern the rate of Algor mortis
1) corpulence- it takes longer for an obese person too cool to surrounding temperature
2) age-The very old and very young will cool faster and go into Algor mortis much faster than healthy young adults
Extrinsic factors that govern the rate of Algor mortis
– Amount of clothing covering the body
– Temperature and humidity of the environment
– Temperature of the patient at death
-cause and manner of death
Hypostasis
Can be antemortem and later postmortem-it is the settling of blood and/or fluids to dependent portions of the body
Generally the thinner the blood flow, the _________ hypostasis occurs
Faster
Medications containing blood thinners _________ hypostasis
Maximize
After death, ______% of blood is in the arteries ,
______% of blood is in the veins, and _____% of blood is in the capillaries
5%, 10%, 85%
Diseases which increase the antemortem metabolic rate tend to ____________ the rate of Algor mortis
Decrease
The rate of cooling will be _______ in cases of sudden death
Slower