SADAT CITY UNIVERSITY

FACULTY OF VETRINARY MEDICINE

FORENSIC MEDICINE DEPT

LIVOR
MORTIS
 PREPARED BY :-

DR / AHMED ABDEL_RAHMAN
MOHAMED ESMAIL
 LIVOR MORTIS
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")
DEFINTION
• BLUISH PURPLE DISCOLOURATION OF THE MOST DEPENDENT
PARTS OF THE BODY DUE TO GRAVITATION OF THE BLOOD
AFTER CESSATION OF CIRCULATION TO THE MOST
DEPENDENT CAPILLARIES.

SITE OF APPEARANCE:
• THIS DEPENDS ON THE ORIGINAL POSTURE OF THE BODY
AFTER DEATH. MOST DEATHS OCCURE IN SUPINE POSITION
AND THUS HYPOSTASIS WILL APPEAR ON THE BACK OF THE
CADAVER (DORSAL DISTRIBUTION )
. IN CASES OF HANGING,LIVIDITY IS
NOTICED IN THE FOREARMS,LOWER LEGS ,EAR
LOBULES AND EXTERNAL GENITALIA.
IN CASES OF DROWNING IT IS NOTICED IN THE
FACE AND SHOULDERS.
HYPOSTASIS WILL NOT APPEAR IN
1-AREAS SUBJECTED TO PRESSURE EITHER BY THE
BODY WIGHT (AREAS OF CONTACT FLATTENING)
2- TIGHT CLOTHINGS EG. TIGHT WAIST BAND
3-ALSO NOT SEEN IN SKIN FOLDS.
THE SLIGHTEST PRESSURE BY THESE AGENTS WILL
PREVENT CAPILLARY FILLING WITH BLOOD.
 CAUSE

1-CESSATION OF THE CIRCULATION

2-RELAXATION OF THE BL.VE MUSCLE
3-FLUIDTY OF THE BLOOD AFTER
DEATH DUE TO RELEASING OF
FIBRENOLYSIN FROM WALL OF BL.VE
. TIME OF APPEARANCE
IMMEDIATELY AFTER CESSATION OF CIRCULATION
AND BECOME VISIBLE AFTER 2 HOURS AS DISCRETE
PATCHES. IN CASES OF DEATHS DUE TO
CONGESTIVE HEART FALIURE(SLUGGISH
CIRCULATION AND HIGH LEVELS OF REDUCED
HAEMOGLOBINE)AND DEATHS ASSOCIATED WITH
PROLONGED. AS TIME PASSES,HYPOSTATIC
PATCHES BECOME CONFLUENT AND MORE INTENSE
IN COLOUR. MAXIMUM DISTRIBUTION OCCUR
AFTER 8 HOURS AND THE DISTRIBUTION BECOME
FIXED
 . BLANCHING OF HYPOSTATIC PATCHES BY
FINGER PRESSURE INDICATE THAT THE
DISTRIBUTION OF HYPOSTASIS HAS NOT BECOME
YET FIXED.
CHANGING THE POSION OF THE BODY
WITHIN8HOURS AFTER DEATH (BEFORE FIXING )
WILL RESULT IN THE DEVELOPMENT ADDITIONAL
PATCHES OF HYPOSTASIS IN THE NEW
DEPENDENT PARTS OF THE BODY.
* DUAL DISTRIBUTION OF HYPOSTASIS INDICATE
CHANGING THE POSITION OF THE CADAVER
WITHIN EIGHT HOURS AFTER DEATH.
 THE PHYSICAL FACTORS FOR
FIXATION OF P.M. STAINING ARE
(1) BLOOD CANNOT PASS OUT OF THE CAPILLARIES
AFTER FORMATION OF POSTMORTEM HYPOSTASIS.
(2) RIGOR MORTIS OBLITERATES THE BIG VESSELS, AND
AS SUCH THE BLOOD CANNOT PASS THROUGH THESE
VESSELS TO SETTLE IN VENULES AND CAPILLARIES IN A
NEW AREA.
(3) AFTER FULL DEVELOPMENT OF RIGOR MORTIS,
VENULES AND CAPILLARIES ARE COMPRESSED AND
ALMOST EMPTY AND CANNOT BE EASILY DISTENDED BY
THE RESETTLING BLOOD
 . POSTMORTEM HYPOSTASIS BECOMES FIXED
WHEN BLOOD LEAKS INTO THE SURROUNDING
SOFT TISSUES DUE TO HAEMOLYSIS AND
BREAKDOWN OF BLOOD VESSELS. THIS USUALLY
OCCURS IN 6 TO 12 HOURS OR MORE, BUT THE
CONDITION OF BLOOD AT THE TIME OF DEATH
EXERTS A CONSIDERABLE INFLUENCE. FIXATION
OCCURS EARLIER IN SUMMER AND IS DELAYED IN
ASPHYXIAL DEATHS AND IN INTRACRANIAL
LESIONS.
 INTERNAL
POSTMORTEM
HYPOSTASIS
WHEN A BODY IS IN SUPINE POSITION, HYPOSTASIS IS SEEN
IN THE POSTERIOR PORTIONS OF THE CEREBRUM AND
CEREBELLUM, THE DORSAL PORTIONS OF THE LUNGS,
POSTERIOR WALL OF THE STOMACH, DORSAL PORTIONS OF
THE LIVER, KIDNEYS, SPLEEN, LARYNX, HEART, AND THE
LOWERMOST COILS OF INTESTINE IN THE PELVIC CAVITY.
POSTMORTEM HYPOSTASIS IN THE HEART CAN SIMULATE
MYOCARDIAL INFARCTION, AND IN THE LUNGS IT MAY
SUGGEST PNEUMONIA; DEPENDENT COILS OF INTESTINE
APPEAR STRANGULATED.
MEDICOLEGAL IMPORTANCE.

1- SURE SIGN OF DEATH.

2- DETERMINATION OF THE TIME OF DEATH.
JUDGMENT WILL DEPEND ON THE EXTENT OF
DISTRIBUTION AND WHETHER IT BECOME
FIXED OR NOT.
3- GIVE AN IDEA ABOUT THE CAUSE OF DEATH
DEPENDING ON THE COLOUR OF HYPOSTATIC
PATCHES.
4- DETERMINATION OF WHETHER THE
POSITION OF THE CORPS HAS BEEN CHANGED
AFTER DEATH DEPENDING ON DUAL
DISTRIBUTION.
color Criminal case Cause of
discoloration
Reddish purple ___ Reduced Hb
bluish asphyxia Reduced Hb

Co poisoning Carboxy Hb
red
Cyanide
poisoning Oxy Hb
Death from cold

brown Nitrate poisoning Met Hb

pale hemorrage Blood loss
CONDITIONS THAT MAY BE MISTAKEN WITH
HYPOSTASIS:
1-INFLAMMATION
2-CONTUTION

hypostasis inflammation

1- site Dependent area Any where

Edema & swelling ______ + ve

 2-CONTUTION
hypostasis contution
1-site Dependent area Any where
2-color Reddish purple Change with time

3-pressure on skin blanching No blanching

4-margins Clearly definet (sharp) Ill – definet (diffuse)

5-shape No specific shape Shape of instrument

6-incisin Blood within bi.ve &can Blood in sc &cannot

be washing out be washed out