Postmortem changes

Physico-chemical changes
independent (!) from the fatal disease take place immediately or shortly after death progress in a fairly orderly fashion strongly influenced by unpredictable endogenous and environmental factors

General pathology
Postmortem changes Mechanical effects

Estimating the time of death Separating from the real lesions!

Cooling off algor mortis

No metabolic process
no heat production = thermo-equalization

Subcutaneous fat tissue

In dogs usually 1C/hour

Depends on
Hair, subcutanous fat tissue Temperature of the surroundings Zone (tropical, temperate)

Increased PM temperature
Overtemperature (heat stroke, septicaemia) Spastic muscle contraction (tetanus, strychnine or DiNitroOrtoCrezol poisoning )

Pale colour - pallor mortis

Blood is settling to lower parts of the animal
Skin and mucous membranes are pale Contraction of the small blood vessels

Desiccation exsiccatio postmortalis

Due to evaporation Skin
nasal plate,rostral plate

Not easy to recognize in animals

Hair and pigmentation!

Mucous membranes Cornea Also in alive animal

necrotized skin

Not an infallible sign of death

anaemia!

Mumification

Soaking maceratio
Skin, organs filled with fluid Foetuses

- complete dehydration of the tissues - dry heat and/or air current - desert, chimney - Function of the putrefactive bacteria is also hampered

aseptic autolysis

Carcasses staying in the water Also in living animals

flows on the skin!

Discharge

Stiffness - Rigor mortis

Occurs in all the three kind of muscles
Voluntary and involuntary muscles

Nystens rule
first investigation in 1811

Skeletal muscles
2-4 hours the beginning 5-8 hours becomes general 24-48 hours starts to disappear 48-60 passes off

Rigor mortis
Heart muscle
Standstill in diastole looks like systole Develops fast (30 minutes) Lasts for 1 day

Onset and duration of RM

Rapid and short
High environmental and/or inner temperature Prolonged muscular activity Young and elder animals Septicaemia, wasting diseases

Smooth muscles
Quick process (10-15 min.) Lasts for 1 4 hours
intestines, arteries, spleen

Delayed
Asphyxial death (notably by carbon monoxide poisoning) Severe hemorrhage, cold surroundings

Fails to develop
In case of degenerative muscle changes

Development of stiffness
N: ATP inhibits the activation of the linkage between the actin and myosin Muscle tissue becomes anoxic after death
Oxygen dependent processes cease Ca ++-pump stops, Ca++ reaches the sarcoplasm Level of ATP is maintained by anaerobic glycolysis Increased amount of pyruvic and lactic acid Myosin-ATP-ase liberates energy Muscle glycogen becomes depleted Cellular pH drops to 6 - COAGULATION of actomyosin Level of ATP falls below critical level RAPID RIGOR

Stiffness - rigor mortis

Irreversible development of those linkage

Resolved by the autolysis

Postmortem clot Cruor postmortalis

Dark red, smooth, fleshy with glistening surface Not attached to the intima! Trombocytolysis
cruor sanguinis red clot crusta lardacea chicken fat clot

After death blood clots in 15-30 minutes

Heart, large blood vessels

No clotting in small blood vessels - fibrinolysin

Blood clot in the heart

PM blood sedimentation, lividity sedimentation,

postmortem hypostasis Effect of gravity on the blood fluid in 1 hour!
Also in the organs (lungs, kidney )

livores mortis
PM spots dark purple

Changing position
Special pattern

Imbibition
Discoloration Forms: From the blood
hemoglobin aorta ! 24 hours - permeable

From the gall bladder

bile pigment imbibition

Self softening Autolysis

Autolytic ferments of the cell in the cytoplasm
endogenous enzymes

Autodigestio (self digestion)

Gastromalatia
Gastric juice

Oesophagomalatia

Postmortem destruction - putrefaction

Decomposition products
Activity of saprogenic bacteria

Suffocation supports the putrefaction

blood remains liquid

Intestine v. portae liver Dissolution into gases, liquids and salts

Ptomaines (neurine, muscarine, putrescin) Gas production stomach distension

Under 5oC putrefaction stops

Rate of putrefaction
Rapid
Obese (retaining the body heat) Warm environmental temperature Hyperemic organs Widespread infection Injuries (portals of entry) Oedematous tissues

Slow
Lean Exsanguination (dehydration)

Emphysema postmortalis hepatis

Honey-comb pattern Honey-

Postmortal tympany

Sulph-hemoglobin SulphReaction of Hb (hemoglobin) plus H2S (hydrogen-sulphid) greyish-green, paling off on air

Pseudomelanosis
H2S + Fe (from Hb)

PM Wax Adipocere
Saponification In wet, clayey soil Fatty acids and Ca++ Form soaps, impregnate soft organs Sweetish odour

Iron-sulphide

Adipocere

Post mortem changes

Cooling off algor mortis Pale color pallor mortis Desiccation exsiccatio postmortalis Soaking maceratio postmortalis Stiffness rigor mortis Postmortem clot cruor postmortalis PM blood sedimentation hypostasis postmortalis
Livores mortis

Discoloration - imbibition Selfsoftening autolysis (selfdigestion autodigestion) Postmortem decomposition putrefaction Grave wax - adipocere

General aetiology
Stimuli from the environment: physiological External causes + internal conditions Causes of diseases
Absolute relative cause Monocausalis pluricausalis
causa essentialis (dominating) Clostridium perfringens D causa auxillaris (helping) decreased motility causa occasionalis (occasional) overfeeding

Causes of the cellular damage

External causes
Physical Chemical
Intoxications

Biological
Viruses, bacteria, fungi, protozoa

Inadequate supplements (malnutrition)

Internal conditions (predisposition)

Physical effects
Forms

Traumas
Open wound or covered lesion Superficial (excoriatio) or deep (denudatio)

a. b. c. d. e. f.

Mechanical effects High and low temperature Electricity Radiant energy Climate and weather Inadequate supplements

Causes
force high, sudden pressure dilaceration
pulling, extension, torsion

explosion (detonation)
Fragment cause wounds Pressure changes tear or rupture of the tissues

Ultrasound
Pseudocavitation, heat production

Luxation

Dislocation

Forms of the wounds (vulnus) vulnus)

On the surface (open w.) Inside the body
abrasion (v. abrasum) contusion (v. contusum) incision and cut (v. scissum et caesum) puncture (v. punctum) laceration (v. lacerum) bite (v. morsum) gun-shot (v. sclopetarium) Bleeding (haemorrhagia) Split (ruptura) Perforation (TRP) Trituration (conquassatio) Compression

SURGICAL WOUND !!!

Covered lesions sometimes without outer signs on the surface!

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Bleeding in the brain tissue

Rupture

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Trituration

Sequelae of traumatic effects

Local effects
Lesions Tissue damage Portal of entry!

General effects
General effect of a local infection
tetanus, gas-phlegmone

Loss of blood
Bleeding out

Functional disturbances
fractures, luxations

Embolism
fat, bone marrow

Traumatic shock

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Bleeding, Bleeding, haemothorax

Loss of function

Lesions in the tissues

Microscopical
Fibrillary ruptures

Macroscopical
Ruptures (ruptura) Fractures (fractura) Luxation (luxatio) Fissure Concussion (commotio)
Locus minoris resistenciae - sick animals - bad condition - nutritive problems

brain, spinal cord, bone marrow bony capsule!!!

Fracture
open (fr. aperta) or covered (fr. optecta) special appaerance
Infraction - bone fracture marked by a small line that shows up in X-ray examination newborns, metabolic disorders, tumors

Minor trauma can cause it

strenght of the bone decreases cachectic animal

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Hematome

Hyperemia

Tumor

Tumor

Vital reaction

Did it happen in life? Edges of the wound

Hemorrhages at the surrounding tissues After soaking it disappears!

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