American Board of Medicolegal Death Investigators (ABMDI) Practice Exam

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How many hours can most tissue be removed from the body after death?

12 hours
24 hours
48 hours
72 hours

The correct answer is: 24 hours

The optimal time frame for retrieving most tissues from the body after death is typically within 24 hours. This timeframe is crucial because the integrity of the tissues and the quality of samples for examination can significantly decrease as time progresses after death. Many health protocols, especially in cases involving organ donation or forensic examination, emphasize this 24-hour window to ensure that the biological materials' viability remains intact, allowing for more accurate analysis and preservation of evidence. As time extends beyond 24 hours, the degradation of tissues begins to render them unsuitable for certain types of medical or forensic examinations, thus impacting the reliability of any findings. This is due to various post-mortem changes, including decomposition, which can commence relatively quickly after death. Therefore, the emphasis on the 24-hour limit reflects established medical and forensic practices aimed at maintaining the highest possible quality of deployed samples for investigation and treatment purposes.