Embalming 2- Ante/Post Conditions

Intravascular Discoloration

- Postmortem

• Livor Mortis-bluish purple color caused by gravitation of blood into the

  dependent capillaries

  Antemortem

• Lividity (Hypostasis) – Bluish/ purple color

• Carbon Monoxide – Cherry Red

• Capillary Congestion – no color

Caused By Blood: Antemortem

Ecchymosis – discoloration of the skin caused by the escape of blood into the

tissues (Large and Purple)

Purpura – Reddish purple discoloration medium in size

Petechia – Reddish small pinpoint discolorations

Hematoma – a swelling or mass of blood caused by a ruptured blood vessel

confined to an organ or space

If Casued by Blood: Postmortem

Postmortem Stain – heme that is released by hemolysis of red blood cells,

seeps through the vessel walls and into the tissues

• extravascular

Tardieu spots – petechia caused by blood settling into tissues, accompanied by

livor mortis (often from asphyxiation or strangulation)

• extravascular

Extravascular Colorations

Ecchymosis, Purpura, Petechia, Tardieu spots, PMS

Treating Extravascular Discoloration

Surface embalming

• Coat surface with gel or cotton-soaked phenol or cavity

fluid

• place cotton on top of area

• cover with plastics to prevent evaporation and odor

• Allow many hours to treat (Overnight is best)

• Remove plastic and cotton

• Clean, Firm, Dry

• Seal any punctures

Antemortem, Extravascular: Pharmaceutical discolorations

Brought on by the chemicals introduced to the system

• Drugs can cause petechia, purpura, and ecchymosis

• Jaundice due to liver failure

• Embalmer needs to flush nitrogenous waste from the body and/or use a high index to counteract the nitrogenous waste

Antemortem Extravascular: Pathological

Occur during a disease

• Addison’s disease – bronze colored skin

• Leukemia – petechia

• Tumors (Neoplasms) – discoloration surrounding the tumor

• Meningitis – cyanosis, blotchy erythematous rash of the skin, petechia and purpura

• Lupus erythematous – chronic skin condition, scaling, red, butterfly macular

rash

• Jaundice – yellowing of skin

• Gangrene

• Wet – caused by venous obstruction

• Dry – caused by arterial insufficiency

Extravascular: Jaundice

• Heathy blood has 1.0 - 1.5 mg of bilirubin in 100 ml of blood. If the level

  reaches higher than 1.5 mg the body will begin to yellow.

• When bilirubin (Yellow) encounters an acidic environment, it turns into

  biliverdin (green)

Why Jaundice Turns Green

• Formaldehyde is a reducing agent; this means It can easily lose electrons causing other chemicals to be reduced.

• Reducing releases hydrogen and this lowers pH (More Acidic)

• An acidic environment changes bilirubin to biliverdin

• Technically formaldehyde isn’t the main reason for the green color, the acidic environment is.

• BUT aldehydes react with proteins (That’s why we embalm) and cause the more acidic environment which then reacts with bilirubin to make biliverdin