Livor Mortis
Definition
Postmortem pooling of blood in dependent tissues producing a purple-red discolouration. Becomes fixed at roughly 8-12 hours; discordance between liver position and body position signals movement after death.
- Color
- Purple-red discoloration in dependent tissues
- Fixation window
- 6 to 12 hours (typically 8 to 12 hours) after death
- Post-mortem movement indicator
- Discordance between livor position and current body position signals movement after death
Common questions
What causes livor mortis to form?+
After death, the heart stops pumping blood. Blood pools under gravity in the lower parts of the body that are in contact with a surface, creating a purple-red discoloration in the skin and tissues. This happens in dependent areas where the body's weight rests.
How long does it take for livor mortis to become fixed?+
Livor mortis typically becomes fixed in 8 to 12 hours after death. Before fixation, the discoloration can shift if the body is moved to a different position. Once fixed, it stays in place even if the body's position changes later.
What can livor mortis tell an investigator?+
Livor mortis pattern shows where the body rested when it died. If the purple discoloration appears in a location that doesn't match the body's current position, it suggests the body was moved after death while the discoloration was still unfixed.
Related terms
- Algor Mortis
- Postmortem cooling of the body toward ambient temperature, approximately 1-1.5 degrees Celsius per hour under average conditions. Used alongside other postmortem changes...
- Coroner Model
- A death-inquiry system headed by an elected or appointed official (the coroner) who need not be a physician. Holds legal authority to...
- Forensic Nurse Death Investigator (FNDI)
- A registered nurse with medicolegal death investigation training who conducts scene assessment, collects ante-mortem history, documents postmortem findings, and coordinates information between...
- Henssge Nomogram
- A graphical method using rectal temperature, ambient temperature and body weight to estimate PMI within a 95 percent confidence interval, with correction...
- Medical Examiner Model
- A death-inquiry system headed by a forensic pathologist who holds statutory authority to investigate and certify deaths falling within specified categories (homicide,...
- Medicolegal Death Investigator (MLDI)
- A broader category of non-physician death investigators, including but not limited to nurses, who work under the authority of a coroner or...
- Post-Mortem Interval (PMI)
- The time elapsed between death and discovery or examination of remains. PMI estimation draws on multiple disciplines: soft tissue decomposition stage, insect...
- Rigor Mortis
- The post-mortem stiffening of muscle from ATP depletion and actin-myosin cross-linking. Develops over hours, peaks, and resolves with putrefaction.
- Vitreous Humour Potassium
- Potassium concentration in the eye's vitreous fluid rises linearly with PMI and is one of the more reliable chemical PMI markers up...
Explained in these topics
- Time Since Death: PMI, Henssge Nomogram, Tropical CorrectionPooling of blood in dependent body parts producing purplish discolouration. Fixes by 6 to 12 hours; positional displacement before fixation is evidence of move...
- The Forensic Nurse Death Investigator and Coroner RolePostmortem pooling of blood in dependent tissues producing a purple-red discolouration. Becomes fixed at roughly 8-12 hours; discordance between liver position...