Week 8 Antemortem & Postmortem Changes Flashcards
before death
antemortem
interval before someone passes is known as the ____
agonal period
in a dying state (in the agonal period)
moribund
in the case of an extended agonal period, these signs of imminent death may be noticed (2)
death rattle
death struggle
noise made by a moribund person caused by air passing through a residue of mucous in the trachea and posterior oral cavity
death rattle
semi-convulsive twitches that often occur before death
death struggle
decrease in body temperature immediately before death; common where death occurs slowly
agonal algor
increase in body temperature immediately before death; common with infection, toxemia, and some types of poisoning
agonal fever
settling of blood into dependent tissues immediately before death
agonal hypostasis
change from a fluid into a thickened mass of blood immediately before death
agonal coagulation
dilation of pores within the capillaries immediately before death
agonal capillary expansion
escape of blood serum from an intravascular to an extravascular location immediately before death as a result of disease processes or capillary expansion
agonal edema
loss of moisture immediately before death which may occur in tandem with agonal edema but in other areas of the body; may also occur in the capillaries when fluid leaks out
agonal dehydration
redistribution of endemic microflora on a host-wide basis immediately before death; organisms may be motile, may enter and move through the bloodstream, or may move with shifts in moisture and hypostatic changes
agonal translocation
distension of the tissues beneath the skin by gas or air from a puncture or tear in the pleural sac or the lung tissue, just prior to death
antemortem subcutaneous emphysema
antemortem, physiological death of the cells of the body followed by their replacement
necrobiosis
pathological death of a tissue still a part of the living organism
necrosis
antemortem form of gangrene, associated with anaerobic gas-forming bacilli, most commonly, Clostridium perfringens
gas gangrene
antemortem gas gangrene can lead to postmortem tissue gas (T/F)
true
condition in which the manifestations of life are feebly maintained
apparent death
the death of the organism as a whole
somatic death
respiration and heartbeat irreversibly cease
clinical death
irreversible phase of somatic death where organs and simple body processes can no longer operate
biological death
phase of somatic death including the death of the individual cells of the body
postmortem cellular death
phases of somatic death (4)
clinical death
brain death
biological death
postmortem cellular death
body of a deceased person, including cremated remains
human remains
the study of death, dying, bereavement, and mourning
thanatology
period that begins after somatic death
postmortem
____ postmortem changes do not change the chemical composition of the body or create new chemical substances
physical
____ postmortem changes result in the formation of new chemical substances
chemical
postmortem cooling of the body to ambient temperature
algor mortis
rate at which the body cools depends on various ____ and ____ factors
intrinsic & extrinsic
changes from within the body
intrinsic
changes from outside the body
extrinsic
intrinsic factors affecting algor mortis (2)
body weight
temperature of body at time of death
how body weight affects cooling: larger surface area = ____ cooling; more mass = ____ cooling
faster; slower
extrinsic factors affecting algor mortis (3)
clothing covering the body
temperature and humidity of environment
cause and manner of death
areas where blood flow has been inhibited during hypostasis will exhibit ____
contact pallor
thinner blood will not cause more hypostatic changes (T/F)
false (it will)
intravascular red-blue discoloration resulting from postmortem hypostasis of blood
livor mortis (cadaveric lividity)
loss of moisture from body tissue, which may occur antemortem or postmortem ; the removal of water from a substance
dehydration
extreme dehydration often resulting in post-embalming discolorations
desiccation
ability of cells to draw moisture from the area surrounding them (including out of the vascular system)
imbibition
reasons for postmortem loss of moisture (3)
direct surface evaporation, imbibition, gravitation of body fluids toward dependent areas
the thickness of a liquid
viscosity
increased viscosity of blood brought about by the clumping of particulate formed elements in the blood vessels
agglutination
in translocation, organisms may be ____, may enter and move through the ____, or may move with shifts in ____ and ____ changes
motile
bloodstream
moisture
hypostatic
physical postmortem changes (6)
algor mortis
hypostasis
livor mortis
loss of moisture
increase in blood viscosity
translocation of microbes
normal pH of a body is around ____
7.4
after death the pH shifts from slightly ____ to ____ and back to ____
basic
acidic
basic
after death, carbs being stored in the muscle tissue are broken down into ____ and ____
pyruvic acid & lactic acid
the ____ usually occurs within the first three hours following death; the body remains ____ during the ____ stage
pH shift
acidic
rigor mortis
buildup of ____ creates an ideal environment for soft proteins to decompose into ____ products, which are ____
acid
nitrogenous
basic
nitrogenous products build up and neutralize the ____ that have built up in the tissues, shifting the pH to ____ which increases with further decomposition
acids
alkaline
postmortem stiffening of the body muscles by natural body processes
rigor mortis
rigor mortis affects all tissues of the body (T/F)
false (only muscles, but all muscles)
rigor mortis will get in the way of distribution of embalming fluid (T/F)
true
rigor mortis usually appears ___ to ___ hours after death and passes naturally within ___ to ___ hours
2–4 hours
36–72 hours
immediate stiffening of the muscles of a dead human body
cadaveric spasm (instantaneous rigor)
____ occurs before rigor mortis begins; ____ occurs after rigor mortis has passed naturally
primary flaccidity
secondary flaccidity
Rigor begins in the entire body at the same time but is most evident, at first, in large muscles (T/F)
false (small muscles)
normal progression of rigor mortis
involuntary eye muscles
jaw, face, and neck
upper extremities, trunk, lower extremities
ideal temperature for rigor mortis is ___; rigor will not occur at temperatures below ___ or above ___
ideal 98°F
below 32°F or above 120°F
severity of rigor depends on these variables (5)
temperature
age
gender
cause of death
condition of muscles
extravascular discoloration that occurs when heme seeps through the vessel walls and into the body tissues
postmortem stain
postmortem stain occurs due to ____ of ____; it occurs about ___ to ___ hours after death
hemolysis of red blood cells
6–10 hours
rise in body temperature after death due to continued cellular metabolism
postmortem caloricity
postmortem chemical changes (6)
pH shift
primary flaccidity
rigor mortis
secondary flaccidity
postmortem stain
postmortem caloricity
