ABMDI EXAM STUDY GUIDE 2026
COMPREHENSIVE QUESTION–ANSWER
DIGEST
◉ Bereavement.
Answer: Sorrow following the death of a loved one
◉ Brain death.
Answer: Final cessation of activity in the central nervous system, as
indicated by a flat electroencephalogram (EEG) or absence of
cerebral blood flow for a predetermined period of time
◉ Cardiac death.
Answer: Final cessation of activity in the cardiovascular system
involving the heart and blood vessels
◉ Cessation.
Answer: The final stoppage of action
◉ Coroner.
Answer: Typically an elected official who decides whether a death
occurred under circumstances that require an autopsy, either by law
,or to determine manner or cause. A coroner can determine the
scope of an autopsy and who will perform it if the elected coroner is
not qualified. Only Kansas, Louisiana, North Dakota, and Ohio
require, without exception, that coroners be medical doctors
◉ Jurisdiction.
Answer: The power or authority a court or office has over
individuals or trauma
◉ Legal next-of-kin.
Answer: The person from whom the medicolegal death investigator
must secure consent before initiating any procurement activity
◉ Medical examiner.
Answer: Usually a medical doctor, although not necessarily a highly
trained pathologist. Like a coroner, a medical examiner decides
whether a death occurred under circumstances that may require an
autopsy and who will perform it if the medical examiner is not
qualified. A medical examiner is usually appointed to the position
and may have jurisdiction for a county, district, or state
◉ OPO (organ procurement organization).
Answer: The agency responsible for identifying potential donors,
obtaining consent, and procuring organs
,◉ Postmortem changes.
Answer: Alterations of the body following death, including
decomposition and environmental resuscitative injuries
◉ Statutes.
Answer: Laws enacted by the legislative branch of government
◉ Verify.
Answer: Establish or confirm the accuracy of information or
evidence through testimony
◉ Vital statistics.
Answer: A governmental agency responsible for maintaining a
system of registration and release of records for the public, including
birth, marriage, divorce, and death
◉ Antemortem blood sample.
Answer: An initial blood sample that usually is obtained when the
subject arrives at the hospital emergency room, before additional
diagnostic or therapeutic treatment is initiated
◉ Authorization.
Answer: Official permission granted by a superior
, ◉ Common-law marriage.
Answer: A marriage that is recognized because the couple have been
cohabiting for a determined length of time, yet a legal marriage
ceremony has not been performed
◉ Confidential.
Answer: Revealed in confidence (trust, assurance), to be kept secret
◉ Cremation.
Answer: The reduction of a dead human body to inorganic bone
fragments by intense heat in a specially designed chamber
◉ Demographic information.
Answer: Personal identifying and specific information regarding an
individual's age, social security number, gender, address, and so on
◉ Disinterment.
Answer: The opening of a grave and removal of the body for the
purpose of reexamination or removal to another site
◉ Embalmer.
COMPREHENSIVE QUESTION–ANSWER
DIGEST
◉ Bereavement.
Answer: Sorrow following the death of a loved one
◉ Brain death.
Answer: Final cessation of activity in the central nervous system, as
indicated by a flat electroencephalogram (EEG) or absence of
cerebral blood flow for a predetermined period of time
◉ Cardiac death.
Answer: Final cessation of activity in the cardiovascular system
involving the heart and blood vessels
◉ Cessation.
Answer: The final stoppage of action
◉ Coroner.
Answer: Typically an elected official who decides whether a death
occurred under circumstances that require an autopsy, either by law
,or to determine manner or cause. A coroner can determine the
scope of an autopsy and who will perform it if the elected coroner is
not qualified. Only Kansas, Louisiana, North Dakota, and Ohio
require, without exception, that coroners be medical doctors
◉ Jurisdiction.
Answer: The power or authority a court or office has over
individuals or trauma
◉ Legal next-of-kin.
Answer: The person from whom the medicolegal death investigator
must secure consent before initiating any procurement activity
◉ Medical examiner.
Answer: Usually a medical doctor, although not necessarily a highly
trained pathologist. Like a coroner, a medical examiner decides
whether a death occurred under circumstances that may require an
autopsy and who will perform it if the medical examiner is not
qualified. A medical examiner is usually appointed to the position
and may have jurisdiction for a county, district, or state
◉ OPO (organ procurement organization).
Answer: The agency responsible for identifying potential donors,
obtaining consent, and procuring organs
,◉ Postmortem changes.
Answer: Alterations of the body following death, including
decomposition and environmental resuscitative injuries
◉ Statutes.
Answer: Laws enacted by the legislative branch of government
◉ Verify.
Answer: Establish or confirm the accuracy of information or
evidence through testimony
◉ Vital statistics.
Answer: A governmental agency responsible for maintaining a
system of registration and release of records for the public, including
birth, marriage, divorce, and death
◉ Antemortem blood sample.
Answer: An initial blood sample that usually is obtained when the
subject arrives at the hospital emergency room, before additional
diagnostic or therapeutic treatment is initiated
◉ Authorization.
Answer: Official permission granted by a superior
, ◉ Common-law marriage.
Answer: A marriage that is recognized because the couple have been
cohabiting for a determined length of time, yet a legal marriage
ceremony has not been performed
◉ Confidential.
Answer: Revealed in confidence (trust, assurance), to be kept secret
◉ Cremation.
Answer: The reduction of a dead human body to inorganic bone
fragments by intense heat in a specially designed chamber
◉ Demographic information.
Answer: Personal identifying and specific information regarding an
individual's age, social security number, gender, address, and so on
◉ Disinterment.
Answer: The opening of a grave and removal of the body for the
purpose of reexamination or removal to another site
◉ Embalmer.
