Notes on page 69 Simply put the end of life The irreversible cessation of circulation of blood Heart stops beating and cannot be restarted When the heart stops beating the body cannot transport oxygen to all its cells and the cells start to die ID: 337721
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Slide1
Death: Manner, Cause and Mechanism
Notes on page 69Slide2
Simply put, the end of life
The irreversible cessation of circulation of blood
Heart stops beating and cannot be restartedWhen the heart stops beating, the body cannot transport oxygen to all its cells and the cells start to die
What is death?Slide3
Stoppage
Nerves, muscles, organs and the brain stop working because of the lack of oxygen
AutolysisBreakdown of cells (cannot be restarted)
Cell membrane dissolves, enzymes and cell contents spill out and digest surrounding tissues
Stages of deathSlide4
Who performs the autopsy?
The pathologist (medical examiner, coroner)
Conducted to determine manner, cause and mechanism of deathCareful and detailed medical examination of a person’s body and organsEach organ is removed and examinedTissue samples are taken
After death – the autopsySlide5
The general ways a person can die
Natural – caused by interruption and failure of body functions resulting from age or disease
Accidental – caused by unplanned eventsSuicide – occurs when someone purposefully kills oneselfHomicide – death of one person caused by another personUndetermined – based on the facts of the case and the autopsy, the pathologist cannot determine manner of death
Manner of deathSlide6
A man with a heart condition is attacked and dies from a heart attack during the assault. Is the manner of death accident or homicide?
An elderly woman dies after being kept from receiving proper health care by her son. Is the manner of death natural or homicide?
A person has been found with an overturned, empty bottle of pills. Is the manner of death suicide or accidental?
Consider these situationsSlide7
The reason someone diesNatural: heart disease, cancer, stroke, physical injury, heart attack, disease
Accidental: Car accident, fall from a ladder, struck by lightning
Suicide: Hanging, overdose, gunshotHomicide: Bludgeoning, shooting, burning, drowning, strangulation, suffocationEach cause of death brings about a physiological change in the body
Cause of deathSlide8
The specific physiological change in the body that brought about the cessation of life
Example: If the cause of death was a shooting, the mechanism could be loss of blood (
exsanguination) or cessation of brain functionExample: If the cause of death was massive trauma from a car accident, the mechanism could be pulmonary arrest (lungs stopped working)Example: If the cause of death is a drug overdose, a cardiac arrhythmia usually occurs (change in the heart rate)
Mechanism of death