Agonal Changes

Human, deprived of life, not entirely disintegrated

What are the 3 conditions that must be met in order to declare a body a dead body?

Expert tests

Tests for death conducted only by physicians in most states.

Inexpert tests

Tests for death conducted prior to expert tests.

Ligature test

Tying string around the finger of the supposedly dead person to see if it turns red.

5 minutes

How long do brain and nervous system cells take to die after biological death?

3 hours

How long do muscle cells take to die after biological death?

6 hours

How long do cornea and blood cells take to die after biological death.

Translocation of microorganisms

When microorganisms in the body travel from intestinal areas to the blood vascular system due to capillary permeability changes. Speeds the rate of decomposition.

Antemortem subcutaneous emphysema

Distension of the tissues beneath the skin by gas or air prior to death.

Gas gangrene

A tissue gas caused by clostridium perfringens after death. Will make the body unrecognizable and can even transfer from one body to another.

Skin starts blistering and falling off

What happens to the body one week after death?

Hair, nails, and teeth fall out

What happens to the body one month after death?

Body organs liquify causing swelling until body bursts

After a long time, what will eventually happen to the body after death?

Coffin birth or postmortem fetal extrusion

Occurs when a female is pregnant prior to death and the body expels the fetus.

Cadaveric lividity or postmortem lividity

Livor mortis is also known as what?

Contact palor

Occurs when the body is lying on something prior to death, which blocks the blood from pooling in that specific area.

Patterned livor mortis

Occurs when the body is lying on something patterned, allowing certain areas in the pattern to block pooling of blood while other areas allow it.

Desiccation

Dehydration of the body can also be called what?

Imbibition

Postmortem edema can also be called what, which is the ability of the cells to draw moisture from the surrounding area into themselves?

Agglutination

The increase in blood viscosity.

Loss of luster in sclera and cornea

What changes in the eye can be observed immediately after death?

Agonal period

The period immediately before somatic death.

Capillary expansion and agonal edema

Increased levels of moisture in the body prior to death may be caused by what?

Postmortem stain

When pressing on a discolored area and the color does not change, the discoloration is what?

2,3,1

Place numbers in order.

1. Postmortem stain

2. Hypostasis

3. Livor mortis

Saprophytic bacteria

Bacteria that derive their nutrition from dead organic matter.

Body

Soma means:

Clinical death, brain death, biological death, postmortem cellular death

What are the stages of somatic death?

Temperature changes, circulatory changes, moisture changes, translocation of microorganisms

Changes occurring during the agonal period can be related to their effect on what?

Physical

Is algor mortis a physical or chemical change?

Physical

Is dehydration a physical or chemical change?

Physical

Is hypostasis a physical or chemical change?

Physical

Is livor mortis a physical or chemical change?

Physical

Is the increase in blood viscosity a physical or chemical change?

Physical

Is the invasion of microorganisms a physical or chemical change?

Chemical

Is postmortem caloricity a physical or chemical change?

Chemical

Is change in body pH a physical or chemical change?

Chemical

Is rigor mortis a physical or chemical change?

Chemical

Is postmortem stain a physical or chemical change?

Chemical

Is decomposition a physical or chemical change?

Surface evaporation

Results from the passage of air over the surface of the body and exposure to direct air currents.

Gravitation

Hypostasis of the blood and body fluids is also known as what?

Sludge

When formed elements of the blood stick together in clumps, what do they form?

Plasma, red blood cells, white blood cells, platelets

What are the 4 components of blood?

Colon

What is the primary source of many of the translocated microbial agents in the body?

7.4

What is the pH of blood?

Primary flaccidity, fully developed rigor mortis, secondary flaccidity

What are the 3 stages of rigor mortis?

Primary flaccidity

The relaxation of muscles at death.

2-4 hours

How long after death does rigor mortis start to develop?

36-72 hours

How long after death does rigor mortis fully develop?

32 degrees, 98-100 degrees, 120 degrees

What is the minimum temperature for rigor mortis to occur? What is the optimum temperature? What is the maximum temperature?

Eye muscles

What are the first to be affected by rigor mortis?

Small to large muscles, down body

How does the order of appearance of rigor mortis progress?

Flex, extend, rotate, massage

What are the 4 ways to relieve rigor mortis?

Cadaveric spasm

Prolongation of the last violent contraction of the muscles into the rigidity of death.

5-6

What is the pH of rigor mortis?

Ammonia

Decomposition occurs due to build up of what?

Eye muscles, jaw, face, upper extremities, trunk, lower extremities

What is the order of appearance for rigor mortis?

Cold stiffening

Solidification of body fats when exposed to cold temperatures.

6.6

What is the approximate pH during full-blown rigor mortis?

Anabolism (building phase) and catabolism (breakdown phase)

What are the two phases of metabolism?

6-10 hours

When does postmortem stain appear after death?

Tardieu spots

Result from the rupture of capillaries, appearing approximately 18-24 hours postmortem. Appear as dark pinpoint hemorrhages in the same dependent areas as love mortis and postmortem stain.

Nysten’s law

The directional occurrence of rigor mortis from the face to the feet.

Proteins, carbohydrates, lipids

What are the 3 major biochemicals in the body?

Peptide bond or peptide linkage

The chemical bond that links two proteins together.

Proteases

If the breakdown is caused by catalytic enzymes, what are the enzymes called?

Saprophytic bacteria and lysosomes

What are the two sources of autolysis?

Amino acids, sugars, fatty acids, glycerol

What are the products of autolysis?

Hydrolysis

What is the first chemical reaction in the putrefactive process?

Proteoses, peptones, and polypeptides

During hydrolysis, large protein molecules are broken down into smaller fragments called what?

Amines

Organic compounds that are considered to be derivatives of ammonia.

Catalyst

A substance that influences the rate of a chemical reaction, without itself becoming part of the products of the reaction.

Transition state

Where chemical bonds of reactants are broken and new chemical bonds are formed.

Carbohydrates, soft proteins, fats, hard proteins, bones

What is the order of decomposition of the body compounds?

Color, odor, purge, gases, skin slip

What are the 5 classic signs of decomposition?

Marbling

Purplish brown discoloration of the superficial veins.

Skatole, indole, cadaverine, ptomaines

Decomposition odor is caused by what amines?

Lining membrane of trachea and larynx or infant brain, non-pregnant uterus or blood vessels

What is the first and last in the putrefaction order of organs?

Coffee ground appearance

Describe stomach purge.

Frothy and red

Describe lung purge.

Comes out of nose, creamy white

Describe brain purge.

Hydrolysis

What is the single most important factor in initiation of decomposition?

Taphonomy

The scientific study of decomposition.

Stethoscope

An instrument used to mediate sounds produced in the body.

Ophthalmoscope

An instrument used to examine the interior of the eye, especially the retina.

Electroencephalogram

A record of the electrical activity of the brain.

Electrocardiogram

A record of the electrical activity of the heart.

Evoked response

Method of testing the function of certain sense organs, even if the subject is unconscious or uncooperative.

Escherichia coli, clostridium, perfringens

Which bacterial enzymes affect decomposition?

Light pink postmortem stain

What is the first discoloration of the body after death?

Deeper pink

Within 10-20 hours after death, what discoloration appears on the body?

Green over cecum

Within 1-3 days after death, what discoloration appears on the body?

Dark green

Within 3-5 days after death, what discoloration appears on the body?

1:2:8. Body exposed to air 1 week, body in water 2 weeks, body buried 8 weeks at same stage

Explain Casper’s Law of Decomposition.

Autolytic and bacterial

What are the 2 types of decomposition?

99 degrees

Bacterial enzymes are most reactive at what temperature?