The Conference National Board (NBE) – Funeral Service Sciences Practice Test

The main idea is that arterial injection is used to move preservative fluid through the entire arterial system so tissues are preserved. The embalming fluid, containing fixatives like formaldehyde, is pushed by a pump into arteries, displacing blood and reaching virtually every tissue. This fixes proteins, disinfects, and slows decomposition, giving long-lasting preservation. Coloring tissues is not the primary goal—any coloration is a side effect rather than the purpose. Removing moisture isn’t the aim either, since the process focuses on distributing the preservative rather than drying tissues. Providing pain relief is unrelated to embalming.