Trauma Flashcards
Contusions
Skin discoloration caused by ruptured blood vessels (bruising)
Abrasions
Scrapes that occur from skin being scraped away through friction
-Can be superficial or deeo
Lacerations
Tears of the skin, associated with blunt weapons
Pattern injury
Injury where size/shape is consistent with the object that created it
Petechiae
Pinpoint marks in the eyes of a hanged person as a result of burst capillaries
What should be done if a body is found with a ligature around the neck
Cut the ligature above the knot and leave the ligature on the neck
Manual vs ligature strangulation
Manual: Hands or arms being used to compress the throat
Ligature: Strangulation via object (like cords or rope)
Types of sharp force trauma
Incised-Wound is longer than it is deep
Chopping-Created by large weapons
Stab-Wound is deeper than it is long
Defense-Self explanatory
Superficial-Surface wound
Tight contact wound
Firearm was pressed firmly against skin at time of discharge
Loose contact wound
Distance between weapon and skin at point of discharge
Intermediate Range Wounds
Powder tattooing is seen; flakes of unburned powder strike the skin with enough force to embed themselves
Exit wounds are typically….
Larger and more irregular than the entrance wound
Exit wounds may appear
In a crescent, circular, star, or slit shape
If an exit wound is slit like, the bullet will be….
Near the body
If the deceased has soot in the lower airway, they were
Alive at the time the fire started
Death via electrocution may occur from
Direct or alternating currents
Blood spatters are much larger on ____ surfaces than they are on ____ surfaces.
Rough-textured; smooth
The ___ end of an elongated bloodstain usually points in ________.
Narrow; the direction of travel
If the angle of impact is 90°, the resulting bloodstain
Will generally be circular in shape
Blood drops that strike a target at an angle less than 90° will create
Elliptical bloodstains with varied shapes
Back spatter
Backward ejections of material (blood)
Satellite spatter
Single drops of blood producing small spatters around the parent stain because of striking a rough target surface
Drip patterns
Occur when blood drops fall into previously deposited wet bloodstains
Castoff patterns
Occur when there are subsequent blows to a same general area where a wound has occurred
