ABMDI Registry Exam/ ABMDI
Registry Exam Study Guide 2025/2026 –
Complete Glossary & Key Definitions for
Medicolegal Death Investigation.
Anencephalic
An infant born without a brain
Bereavement
Sorrow following the death of a loved one
Brain death
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
Final cessation of activity in the cardiovascular system involving the heart and blood vessels
Cessation
The final stoppage of action
Coroner
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
The power or authority a court or office has over individuals or trauma
Legal next-of-kin
The person from whom the medicolegal death investigator must secure consent before
initiating any procurement activity
,Medical examiner
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)
The agency responsible for identifying potential donors, obtaining consent, and procuring
organs
Postmortem changes
Alterations of the body following death, including decomposition and environmental
resuscitative injuries
Statutes
Laws enacted by the legislative branch of government
Verify
Establish or confirm the accuracy of information or evidence through testimony
Vital statistics
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
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
Official permission granted by a superior
Common-law marriage
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
Revealed in confidence (trust, assurance), to be kept secret
Cremation
, The reduction of a dead human body to inorganic bone fragments by intense heat in a specially
designed chamber
Demographic information
Personal identifying and specific information regarding an individual's age, social security
number, gender, address, and so on
Disinterment
The opening of a grave and removal of the body for the purpose of reexamination or removal to
another site
Embalmer
An individual licensed by the state to disinfect, preserve, and cosmetically restore dead human
bodies
Euphemism
A mild or inoffensive term or phrase that is substituted for another, more explicit term
Funeral director
An individual or corporation licensed by a state to prepare dead human remains, other than by
embalming, for interment or other means of disposal. The person also conducts funeral services
and counsels the decedent's families
Guardianship or power of attorney
Legal authorization to act on another individual's behalf. This authority usually ceases after
death, so be sure to check the law in your state
Interrogation
The formal act of examining a person by asking questions, usually a law enforcement function
Interview
A formal face-to-face conversation between a reported (the medicolegal death investigator) and
a person from whom information is sought (the witness)
Legal next-of-kin
The hierarchical succession of survivors established by law
Media
Any news-reporting agency (e.g. newspaper, magazine, radio, television) and its representatives
Registry Exam Study Guide 2025/2026 –
Complete Glossary & Key Definitions for
Medicolegal Death Investigation.
Anencephalic
An infant born without a brain
Bereavement
Sorrow following the death of a loved one
Brain death
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
Final cessation of activity in the cardiovascular system involving the heart and blood vessels
Cessation
The final stoppage of action
Coroner
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
The power or authority a court or office has over individuals or trauma
Legal next-of-kin
The person from whom the medicolegal death investigator must secure consent before
initiating any procurement activity
,Medical examiner
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)
The agency responsible for identifying potential donors, obtaining consent, and procuring
organs
Postmortem changes
Alterations of the body following death, including decomposition and environmental
resuscitative injuries
Statutes
Laws enacted by the legislative branch of government
Verify
Establish or confirm the accuracy of information or evidence through testimony
Vital statistics
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
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
Official permission granted by a superior
Common-law marriage
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
Revealed in confidence (trust, assurance), to be kept secret
Cremation
, The reduction of a dead human body to inorganic bone fragments by intense heat in a specially
designed chamber
Demographic information
Personal identifying and specific information regarding an individual's age, social security
number, gender, address, and so on
Disinterment
The opening of a grave and removal of the body for the purpose of reexamination or removal to
another site
Embalmer
An individual licensed by the state to disinfect, preserve, and cosmetically restore dead human
bodies
Euphemism
A mild or inoffensive term or phrase that is substituted for another, more explicit term
Funeral director
An individual or corporation licensed by a state to prepare dead human remains, other than by
embalming, for interment or other means of disposal. The person also conducts funeral services
and counsels the decedent's families
Guardianship or power of attorney
Legal authorization to act on another individual's behalf. This authority usually ceases after
death, so be sure to check the law in your state
Interrogation
The formal act of examining a person by asking questions, usually a law enforcement function
Interview
A formal face-to-face conversation between a reported (the medicolegal death investigator) and
a person from whom information is sought (the witness)
Legal next-of-kin
The hierarchical succession of survivors established by law
Media
Any news-reporting agency (e.g. newspaper, magazine, radio, television) and its representatives
