What are examples of passive and acive defensive type injuries?
- Passive – victim raises arms and legs for protection
- Sliced, shelved often with skin flaps over backs of hands and forearms
- Active – victim tries to grab weapon or attackers hand
- Sliced shelved incised wounds on palmer aspect of hands and web spaces between fingers – particularly between thumb and index finger
Self inflicted injuries
- Commonly sharp force
- Site of election - usually wrists/forearms, chest and abdomen
- Parallel, multiple and tentative incisions
What are the factors that determine the consequences of injury?
- Type of mechanical insult – blunt, sharp, homicide, suicide, accident etc
- Nature of target tissue - head, chest, abdomen, fat
- Forces involved – high speed RTC, fall from height, kicking, stamping, punch
- Number of impacts – multiple vs single
What causes traumatic subarachnoid haemorrhage?
Rapid rotational movement of head - usually a single punch to the jaw / upper part o f neck or side of head
Sudden unexpected twisting motion
Traumatic rupture of vessels at base of brain - most frequently distal portion of intracranial vertebral arteries at point where they cross the dura
Immediately unconscious and in cardiac arrest
What does the clinical term - diffuse axonal injury mean?
Immediate and prolonged coma with no apparent mass lesion or metabolic abnormality
What does the pathological term traumatic axonal injury mean?
Damaged axons due to trauma
How is TAI (traumatic axonal injury) graded
Focal or diffuse (graded 1-3 depending on severity)
What are possible post mortem injuries?
Animal predation
Insect predation
