POST MORTEM CHANGES

• Post mortem examination/Necropsy /Autopsy

:Systematic exposure and scientific
examination of carcass to know the cause of
death/status
 Postmortem Changes
- Algor mortis – Cooling of body

- Autolysis –digestion of tissue by their own cellular enzymes

- Putrefaction-decomposition of tissue by enzymes of saprophytic

bacteria

-Livor mortis (Latin: livor—"bluish color," mortis—"of death"),

postmortem lividity (Latin: postmortem—"after death“

- lividity—"black and blue"), hypostasis (Greek:

hypo, meaning "under, beneath"; stasis, meaning "a standing“)
Rigor mortis
• The muscle contracts when the myosin shifts, but the lack
of ATP prevents it from detaching, and the muscle remains
contracted. Such a process occurs in all muscles as the
body becomes rigid.

• Rigor mortis usually sets in within four hours, first in the

face and generally smaller muscles.

• A few hours after a person or animal dies, the joints of the

body stiffen and become locked in place. This stiffening is
called rigor mortis. ...

• Depending on temperature and other conditions, rigor

mortis lasts approximately 72 hours.
• Rigor mortis-
 Shortening and contraction muscle after death.
 Begins from head to tail and passes of in same
direction.
 Starts appearing within 1-8 Hrs after death and
disappear within 20-30 and even upto 72 hrsHrs.

Putrefaction Rigor mortis

PM clotting of blood-
 In dead animal the endothelial cells begins to degenerate due to
lack of oxygen and liberate thromboplastin which clot the blood
within heart, artery and vein.
 Anthrax – no clot forms because fibrinolysin produced by bacteria
(Bacillus anthracis) liquefy the fibrin.
 Sweet clover poisoning-no clot forms because prothrombin
activity is inhibited.
 PM clot attaches to vessel, AM clot-not attaches to vessel.

PM Clot AM Clot
PM staining
 After death, the RBCs are haemolysed by cellular and bacterial
enzymes and Hb get liberated
 Hb diffuse into surrounding tissues and stain them red.
Hypostatic Congestion-accumulation of blood in the ventral
portion of organ or body due to influence of gravity.

PM Staining Hypostatic Congestion

Pseudomelanosis-
Hydrogen sulphide produced during putrefaction combines with
iron to form iron sulphide which gives black shade to the tissue.
Imbibition with bile- is the yellow pigmentation of tissue
occurring near the gall bladder when the bile pigments diffuse
into the surrounding tissue.

Imbibition with bile Pseudomelanosis

PM bloat/emphysema- accumulation of gas in rumen or tissues
due to bacterial fermentation.
Rupture of organs and tissues- occurs when gases produced causes
progressive distension of body structure until they burst.
Eg. Stomach, Intestine.
Displacement of organs- occurs when the dead animal is rolled
over or moved.

PM Emphysema PM Emphysema
 Factors which influences the rapidity of onset of pm changes
1.Environmental temperature-
 Summer-animal decompose rapidly.
 Cold- animal decompose slowly.
2. Size of animal
 Large animal- rapid pm changes
3.External covering-
 Thick hair, wool, fur retard heat dissipation.
 Sheep decompose very rapidly.
4.Fatness of animal-
 Fatty animal decompose very rapidly.
5.Species of animal-
 Pig decompose rapidly [flesh-high fat]
 Horse –decompose slowly.
 NECROPSY
IS MESSAGE
FROM DEAD
TO LIVING
11