Fluidity of cadaveric blood after sudden death: Part I. Postmortem fibrinolysis and plasma catecholamine level.

In rats, fibrinolytic activity and plasma catecholamine levels increased rapidly after death. Postmortem fibrinolysis was affected by the method of sacrifice, but catecholamine level was not always affected. Immediately after death, the plasma adrenalin level was higher than the noradrenalin level, but then adrenalin remained unchanged or tended to decrease while noradrenalin tended to increase gradually with time. In human subjects after rapid death, the plasma catecholamine and fibrinolytic activity levels were high. However, in cases after slow death they were low.