UNIT 2 POSTMORTEM CHANGES Flashcards
Lack of ATP regeneration and increased acidity result in the formation of ____________
locking chemical bridges between actin and myosin
rigor mortis Sets within __________ (head & neck) initially notable in the small muscles (i.e. jaw) followed by larger muscle groups
(i.e. legs)
2 hrs after death
livor mortis Fully evident within ______ and fixed in approx. _____
- 4 hrs
- 8-12 hrs
is pink to purple discoloration of the skin from blood pooling in
dependent areas of the body
Lividity
livor mortis is spared in these areas due to localized pressure
preventing blood from entering the skin
Blanching
First demonstrable change after death is cooling of the body
Algor Mortis
Other Postmortem Changes:
- Postmortem clotting of blood
- Discoloration of tissues
- Autolysis and Putrefaction
- Dessication (Tache Noir)
Algor Mortis At room temp:
▪ 2 to 2.5 °F/hr – 1
st hour
▪ 1.5 to 2 °F/hr – next 12 hours
▪ 1 °F/hr – next 12-18 hours
Blackened or dark mummified looking tissue
Postmortem drying (Dessication)
Subtle form of livor mortis in the form of petechial
hemorrhage
Tardieu spots
Refers to a continuum of changes that occur in a dead body following death
POSTMORTEM CHANGES
increases lactic acidosis
Hypoxia
temperature
“Algor”
the study of how organisms decay
and become fossilized in the archeological record
Taphonomy
Not a reliable indicator as to the time of death
Algor Mortis
Blood supply gravitates to the skin vessels which becomes toneless and
dilate after circulation cease
Livor Mortis or Postmortem (Lividity) Hypostasis
petechial form of hemorrhage in the skin
Tardien spots aka: Tardieu petechiae, Tardieu spots
Rigidity of the body due to hardening of the skeletal muscles caused by a
series of physiochemical events after death
RIGOR MORTIS
Tache noir is often initially ___ in appearance and over time
becomes black
parts that darken with postmortem drying
Lips, tip of tongue, and scrotum
Horizontal linear scleral blackening along the equator of the
globe of the eye
Tache noir de la sclerotique
As a rule, the body cools at
1.5 °F/hr (50% of cases)
occurs in gravity dependent areas of the body that come into
contact with firm surfaces (i.e. floor, tight clothing)
Blanching
The interlocking is fixed and produces rigor mortis without
_______ of the muscle
shortening
rigor mortis dissipates after approximately
36-48 hours
livor mortis Becomes evident as early as
20 minutes after death
are purple to black spots on the skin
that can develop along with lividity, from the rupture of capillaries due to the increased pressure as the
blood is settling down into the capillary bed of the skin. Most of the time it turns black when the
terminal time interval has passed.
Tardieu spots
large ecchymosis in the area
Tadien spots:
Blood gravitates to the most dependent part of the body;
flows/pools to the lowest parts
Livor Mortis
Due to depletion of ATP and accumulation of lactic acid; in a dead body, the glycogen stores in the muscles and liver are consumed and rapidly depleted, preventing the energy dependent breakage of
sarcomere contraction
, subpleural spots of ecchymosis
that follow the death of a newborn child by strangulation or suffocation, were first described by Tardieu in 1859, and were so named in his hono
Tardieu’s ecchymoses
Mummification or drying of the skin and mucous membranes
Dessication (Tache Noir)
Autolysis and Putrefaction is noticable around
3 or more days
Livor Mortis is evident as deep _______- discoloration in the skin and internal organs
purple-red
Also called dependent lividity
Livor Mortis
Fixed rigor mortis of the upper extremities wherein the arms
are suspended against gravity indicating they were previously
held in that position while rigor was fixing.
ANTIGRAVITATIONAL RIGOR MORTIS
rigor mortis is complete and fully fixed after approximately
6-12 hours
