Week 8 Antemortem & Postmortem Changes

Question 1

before death

Answer 1

antemortem

Question 2

interval before someone passes is known as the ____

Answer 2

agonal period

Question 3

in a dying state (in the agonal period)

Answer 3

moribund

Question 4

in the case of an extended agonal period, these signs of imminent death may be noticed (2)

Answer 4

death rattle
death struggle

Question 5

noise made by a moribund person caused by air passing through a residue of mucous in the trachea and posterior oral cavity

Answer 5

death rattle

Question 6

semi-convulsive twitches that often occur before death

Answer 6

death struggle

Question 7

decrease in body temperature immediately before death; common where death occurs slowly

Answer 7

agonal algor

Question 8

increase in body temperature immediately before death; common with infection, toxemia, and some types of poisoning

Answer 8

agonal fever

Question 9

settling of blood into dependent tissues immediately before death

Answer 9

agonal hypostasis

Question 10

change from a fluid into a thickened mass of blood immediately before death

Answer 10

agonal coagulation

Question 11

dilation of pores within the capillaries immediately before death

Answer 11

agonal capillary expansion

Question 12

escape of blood serum from an intravascular to an extravascular location immediately before death as a result of disease processes or capillary expansion

Answer 12

agonal edema

Question 13

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

Answer 13

agonal dehydration

Question 14

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

Answer 14

agonal translocation

Question 15

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

Answer 15

antemortem subcutaneous emphysema

Question 16

antemortem, physiological death of the cells of the body followed by their replacement

Answer 16

necrobiosis

Question 17

pathological death of a tissue still a part of the living organism

Answer 17

necrosis

Question 18

antemortem form of gangrene, associated with anaerobic gas-forming bacilli, most commonly, Clostridium perfringens

Answer 18

gas gangrene

Question 19

antemortem gas gangrene can lead to postmortem tissue gas (T/F)

Answer 19

true

Question 20

condition in which the manifestations of life are feebly maintained

Answer 20

apparent death

Question 21

the death of the organism as a whole

Answer 21

somatic death

Question 22

respiration and heartbeat irreversibly cease

Answer 22

clinical death

Question 23

irreversible phase of somatic death where organs and simple body processes can no longer operate

Answer 23

biological death

Question 24

phase of somatic death including the death of the individual cells of the body

Answer 24

postmortem cellular death

Question 25

phases of somatic death (4)

Answer 25

clinical death brain death biological death postmortem cellular death

Question 26

body of a deceased person, including cremated remains

Answer 26

human remains

Question 27

the study of death, dying, bereavement, and mourning

Answer 27

thanatology

Question 28

period that begins after somatic death

Answer 28

postmortem

Question 29

____ postmortem changes do not change the chemical composition of the body or create new chemical substances

Answer 29

physical

Question 30

____ postmortem changes result in the formation of new chemical substances

Answer 30

chemical

Question 31

postmortem cooling of the body to ambient temperature

Answer 31

algor mortis

Question 32

rate at which the body cools depends on various ____ and ____ factors

Answer 32

intrinsic & extrinsic

Question 33

changes from within the body

Answer 33

intrinsic

Question 34

changes from outside the body

Answer 34

extrinsic

Question 35

intrinsic factors affecting algor mortis (2)

Answer 35

body weight temperature of body at time of death

Question 36

how body weight affects cooling: larger surface area = ____ cooling; more mass = ____ cooling

Answer 36

faster; slower

Question 37

extrinsic factors affecting algor mortis (3)

Answer 37

clothing covering the body temperature and humidity of environment cause and manner of death

Question 38

areas where blood flow has been inhibited during hypostasis will exhibit ____

Answer 38

contact pallor

Question 39

thinner blood will not cause more hypostatic changes (T/F)

Answer 39

false (it will)

Question 40

intravascular red-blue discoloration resulting from postmortem hypostasis of blood

Answer 40

livor mortis (cadaveric lividity)

Question 41

loss of moisture from body tissue, which may occur antemortem or postmortem ; the removal of water from a substance

Answer 41

dehydration

Question 42

extreme dehydration often resulting in post-embalming discolorations

Answer 42

desiccation

Question 43

ability of cells to draw moisture from the area surrounding them (including out of the vascular system)

Answer 43

imbibition

Question 44

reasons for postmortem loss of moisture (3)

Answer 44

direct surface evaporation, imbibition, gravitation of body fluids toward dependent areas

Question 45

the thickness of a liquid

Answer 45

viscosity

Question 46

increased viscosity of blood brought about by the clumping of particulate formed elements in the blood vessels

Answer 46

agglutination

Question 47

in translocation, organisms may be ____, may enter and move through the ____, or may move with shifts in ____ and ____ changes

Answer 47

motile bloodstream moisture hypostatic

Question 48

physical postmortem changes (6)

Answer 48

algor mortis hypostasis livor mortis loss of moisture increase in blood viscosity translocation of microbes

Question 49

normal pH of a body is around ____

Answer 49

7.4

Question 50

after death the pH shifts from slightly ____ to ____ and back to ____

Answer 50

basic acidic basic

Question 51

after death, carbs being stored in the muscle tissue are broken down into ____ and ____

Answer 51

pyruvic acid & lactic acid

Question 52

the ____ usually occurs within the first three hours following death; the body remains ____ during the ____ stage

Answer 52

pH shift acidic rigor mortis

Question 53

buildup of ____ creates an ideal environment for soft proteins to decompose into ____ products, which are ____

Answer 53

acid nitrogenous basic

Question 54

nitrogenous products build up and neutralize the ____ that have built up in the tissues, shifting the pH to ____ which increases with further decomposition

Answer 54

acids alkaline

Question 55

postmortem stiffening of the body muscles by natural body processes

Answer 55

rigor mortis

Question 56

rigor mortis affects all tissues of the body (T/F)

Answer 56

false (only muscles, but all muscles)

Question 57

rigor mortis will get in the way of distribution of embalming fluid (T/F)

Answer 57

true

Question 58

rigor mortis usually appears ___ to ___ hours after death and passes naturally within ___ to ___ hours

Answer 58

2–4 hours 36–72 hours

Question 59

immediate stiffening of the muscles of a dead human body

Answer 59

cadaveric spasm (instantaneous rigor)

Question 60

____ occurs before rigor mortis begins; ____ occurs after rigor mortis has passed naturally

Answer 60

primary flaccidity secondary flaccidity

Question 61

Rigor begins in the entire body at the same time but is most evident, at first, in large muscles (T/F)

Answer 61

false (small muscles)

Question 62

normal progression of rigor mortis

Answer 62

involuntary eye muscles jaw, face, and neck upper extremities, trunk, lower extremities

Question 63

ideal temperature for rigor mortis is ___; rigor will not occur at temperatures below ___ or above ___

Answer 63

ideal 98°F below 32°F or above 120°F

Question 64

severity of rigor depends on these variables (5)

Answer 64

temperature age gender cause of death condition of muscles

Question 65

extravascular discoloration that occurs when heme seeps through the vessel walls and into the body tissues

Answer 65

postmortem stain

Question 66

postmortem stain occurs due to ____ of ____; it occurs about ___ to ___ hours after death

Answer 66

hemolysis of red blood cells 6–10 hours

Question 67

rise in body temperature after death due to continued cellular metabolism

Answer 67

postmortem caloricity

Question 68

postmortem chemical changes (6)

Answer 68

pH shift primary flaccidity rigor mortis secondary flaccidity postmortem stain postmortem caloricity