Livor mortis

Livor mortis
Stages of death

Pallor mortis
Algor mortis
Rigor mortis
Livor mortis
Putrefaction
Decomposition
Skeletonization
v · d · e

Livor mortis (Latin: livor—"bluish color," mortis—"of death"), postmortem lividity (Latin: postmortem—"after death", lividity—"black and blue"), or hypostasis (Greek: hupo, meaning "under, beneath"; stasis, meaning "a standing"[1][2]) is one of the signs of death. Livor mortis is a settling of the blood in the lower (dependent) portion of the body, causing a purplish red discoloration of the skin: when the heart is no longer agitating the blood, heavy red blood cells sink through the serum by action of gravity.Intensity of color depends upon the amount of reduced hemoglobin in the blood. This discoloration does not occur in the areas of the body that are in contact with the ground or another object, as the capillaries are compressed. As the vessel wall become permeable due to decomposition,blood leaks through them and stains the tissue.This is the reason for fixation of hypostasis.

Livor mortis in a cadaver.

Coroners can use the presence or absence of livor mortis as a means of determining an approximate time of death. The presence of livor mortis is an indication of when it would be futile to begin CPR, or when it is ineffective to continue if it is in progress. It can also be used by forensic investigators to determine whether or not a body has been moved (for instance, if the body is found lying face down but the pooling is present on the deceased's back, investigators can determine that the body was originally positioned face up).

Livor mortis starts twenty minutes to three hours after death and is congealed in the capillaries in four to five hours. Maximum lividity occurs within 6-12 hours. The blood pools into the interstitial tissues of the body.

Notes and references

  1. ^ http://www.thefreedictionary.com/hypostasis
  2. ^ http://www.thefreedictionary.com/hypo-
  • Calixto Machado, "Brain death: a reappraisal", Springer, 2007, ISBN 038738975X, p.74
  • Robert G. Mayer, "Embalming: history, theory, and practice", McGraw-Hill Professional, 2005, ISBN 0071439501, pp.106-109
  • Anthony J. Bertino "Forensic Science: Fundamentals and Investigations" South-Western Cengage Learning , 2008, ISBN 978-0-538-44586-3

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Look at other dictionaries:

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  • Livor mortis — Als Totenflecke (medizinisch lateinisch: Livores, Leichenflecken) wird die normalerweise blauviolette Verfärbung der Haut an den abhängigen Körperpartien bezeichnet, welche nach dem Tod auftritt. Die ersten Totenflecken entstehen etwa 20 bis 30… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • livor mortis — li·vor mor·tis lī .vȯr mȯrt əs, vər n hypostasis of the blood following death that causes a purplish red discoloration of the skin * * * discoloration appearing on dependent parts of the body after death, as a result of cessation of circulation …   Medical dictionary

  • Livor — (Livēdo, lat.), blaßbläuliche Hautfarbe; livores mortis, Totenflecke …   Meyers Großes Konversations-Lexikon

  • livor — The livid discoloration of the skin on the dependent parts of a corpse. [L. a black and blue spot] * * * li·vor (liґvor) pl. livoґres [L. “bluish color”] 1. lividity. 2. l. mortis …   Medical dictionary

  • Rigor mortis — This article is about the sign of death. For other uses, see Rigor mortis (disambiguation). Stages of death Pallor mortis Algor mortis Rigor mortis Livor mortis Putrefaction Decomposition Skeletonization v …   Wikipedia

  • Pallor mortis — (Latin: paleness of death) is a postmortem paleness which happens in those with light skin almost instantly (in the 15–120 minutes after the death) because of a lack of capillary circulation throughout the body. The blood sinks down into the… …   Wikipedia

  • postmortem lividity — livor mortis …   Medical dictionary

  • Decomposition — For other uses, see Decomposition (disambiguation). A mummified rat. Stages of death Pallor mortis Algor mortis …   Wikipedia

  • Lividité cadavérique — Les lividités cadavériques (ou livor mortis) sont une coloration rouge à violacée de la peau liée à un déplacement passif de la masse sanguine vers les parties déclives du cadavre, qui débute dès l arrêt de l écoulement du sang. Sommaire 1… …   Wikipédia en Français

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