American Board of Medicolegal Death Investigators (ABMDI) Practice Exam

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What does livor mortis describe?

Stiffening of the body
Pooling of blood in low areas of the body
General unresponsiveness
Lack of body temperature

The correct answer is: Pooling of blood in low areas of the body

Livor mortis refers to the phenomenon of blood pooling in the dependent areas of the body after death. This occurs due to the gravitational pull on the blood, which settles in the lowest parts of the body where circulation has ceased. As the heart stops pumping, blood is no longer circulated, leading to a settling effect that creates distinct coloring changes in the skin, usually seen in areas such as the back, buttocks, and any other regions in contact with a surface. The significance of livor mortis in forensic science lies in its ability to provide important clues about the position of the body following death and the time elapsed since death. The pattern and distribution of the lividity can help investigators determine whether a body has been moved post-mortem. This physiological process begins within 20 minutes to several hours after death and can be used alongside other post-mortem changes to establish a timeline. While stiffening of the body (rigor mortis), lack of body temperature (algor mortis), and general unresponsiveness can also occur after death, they describe different aspects of the post-mortem process, differentiating these changes from the specific pooling of blood characterized by livor mortis.