PostMortem Changes

Blood and Congestion
1. Clotting
  1. Be aware of postmortem clots; Can mistake for Thrombosis
    1. Genuine Thrombus will be difficult to dislodge, and should have an obvious attachment to the vessel wall
2. Hypostatic Congestion
  1. If an animal has been lying on one side after death, asymmetric congestion will result
    1. Kidneys & Lungs
Pseudomelanosis
Biliary Imbibition
Autolysis
1. Tissue self-digestion due to release of intracellular lytic enzymes
  1. Can resemble Necrosis
2. Tissues undergo autolysis at different rates
  1. Rapid
    1. Stomach, Intestines, Pancreas
  2. Medium
    1. Kidney
  3. Slowly
    1. Muscle, Skin
Putrefaction
1. Invasion of dead tissue by anaerobes ( Ex. Clostridia)
2. Tissue turns green/brown
  1. Haemoglobin breakdown
  2. Formation of Hydrogen Sulphide
    1. Pseudomelanosis
3. Emphysema can occur in putrefied tissue if the organisms liberate gas
Agonal Changes
1. Occur around time of death (Irreversible circulatory failure)
2. Vascular congestion (Especially spleen)
  1. Ex. Euthanasia w/ barbituates
3. Agonal regurgitation of GI contents
  1. Lack of associated inflammation
4. Barbiturate crystal deposition in Endocardium
5. GIT Intussusception
  1. 1 piece of bowel telescopes inside another
Incidental Findings
1. Postmortem -> Surgical Biopsy
2. "Lesions" @ PME or Exploratory surgery
  1. Mistakenly biopsied
  2. Inappropriately assigned as significant
  3. Inappropriately assigned as cause of death
3. Aging changes
  1. Rigidity of bones, joints and connective tissue
  2. "Wear & tear" to joints
  3. Accumulation of metabolic products in cells
  4. Splenic siderofibrosis
Lungs
1. Mineralization
2. Osseous metaplasia
  1. gritty, hard bits
3. Anthracosis
  1. Lungs contain fine 1 -2mm black foci in subpleural region
    1. Where anthracotic pigment present
    2. Medulla of regional lymph nodes may also be black
4. Pigmented bronchial lymph nodes
Vasculature
1. Arteriosclerosis
2. Atherosclerosis
  1. Fatty plaques building up
    1. Usually underlying metabolic disease
3. Vessel mineralization
4. Endocardial mineralization
Drug Associated Changes
1. Barbituates
  1. Local Rxn
  2. Barbituate crystals
  3. Splenomegaly
2. Steroids
  1. Vacuolar hepatopathy
    1. Glycogen builds up in cells (Liver)

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PostMortem Changes

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	Created by melian.yates about 11 years ago