How To Read A Stab Wound

How To Read A Stab Wound

Most emergency departments do not see much penetrating trauma. But it is helpful to be able to learn as much as possible from the appearance of these piercing injuries when you do see them. This post will describe the basics of reading stab wounds.

Important: This information will allow some basic interpretation of wounds. It will not qualify you as a forensics expert by any means. I do not recommend that you document any of this information in the medical record unless you have specific forensic training. You should only write things like “a wound was noted in the midepigastrium that is 2 cm in length.” Your note can and will be used in a court of law, and if you are wrong there can be significant consequences for the plaintiff or the defendant. This information is for your edification only.

1. What is the length of the wound? This does not necessarily correspond to the width of the blade. Skin stretches as it is cut, so the wound will usually retract to a length that is shorter than the full width of the blade.

2. Is the item sharp on one side or both? This can usually be determined by the appearance of the wound. A linear wound with two sharp ends is generally a two sided knife. A wound with one flat end and one sharp end is usually from a one-sided weapon. The picture below shows a knife wound with one sharp side.

3. Is there a hilt mark? This can usually be detected by looking for bruising around the wound. The picture below shows a knife wound with a hilt mark.

4. What is the angle? If both edges are symmetric, the knife went straight in. If one surface has a tangential appearance, then the knife was angled toward that side. You can approximate the direction of entry by looking at the tangential surface of the wound edge. In this example, the blade is angling upward toward the right.

5. How deep did it go? You have no way of knowing unless you have the blood stained blade in your possession. And yes, it is possible for the wound to go deeper than the length of the knife, since the abdominal wall or other soft tissues can be pushed inwards during the stab.

More Posts from Theperpetualscholar and Others

7 years ago

Important Terms

For approaching Religious and Anthropological Studies:

Important Terms

Cultural Relativism:

“The ability to view the beliefs and customs of other peoples within the context of their own cultures rather than one’s own; or, describing another culture from its own point of view without imposing one’s own cultural values.” Look at what people BELIEVE, not whether or not what they believe is “true.”

Important Terms

Ethnocentrism (the opposite of cultural relativism):

“The tendency to judge the customs of other societies by the standards of one’s own; combines the belief in the superiority of one’s own culture with the practice of judging other cultures by the standards and values of one’s own culture.”

Harnessing ethnocentric ideas when approaching religious and cultural studies will hinder one from truly being able to learn and understand other peoples and their cultures. 

5 years ago

FREE MEDICAL PDFs

Anatomy:

1–> KLM for Gross Anatomy

2–> Snell’s Anatomy

3–> BD Churassia

4–> RJ Last

5–> Grey’s Anatomy

6–> Langman Embryology

7–> KLM for Embryology

8–> BD For General Anatomy

9–> Dissector

10–> Di Fore Histology

11–> Junqueira’s Histology

12–> Netter Atlas of human Aantomy

Folder link–> https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B3WdpdsqpX0LYV9KQ3lxY29FY28

Physiology:

1–> Guyton

2–> Ganong

3–> Sheerwood

4–> Sembulingam

Folder link–> https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B3WdpdsqpX0LdXlCSjdZM214dEE

  Biochemistry:

1–> Harper

2–> Lippincott

3–> Chatterjea

4–> Satyanarayan

5–> Stryer

6–> MRS Biochemistry

Folder link–> https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B3WdpdsqpX0Ld0o3WnhCR2VEczg

Pathology:

1–> Big Robins

2–> Medium Robins

3–> Pathoma

4–> Goljan

5–> Harsh Mohan Pathology

6–> Atlas of Histopathology

7–> Levinson

8–> MRS microbiology

9–> Microbiology by Jacquelyn G. Black

10–> Color Atlas of Microbiology

11–> Kaplan Pathology

Folder link–> https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B3WdpdsqpX0LYkRYdjFrTm5MR0U

  Pharmacology:

1–> Big Katzung

2–> Mini Katzung

3–> Kaplan Review

4–> Lippincott

5–> Pocket Katzung

6–> Rang and Dale’s Pharmacology

7–> Atlas of Pharmacology

Folder link–> https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B3WdpdsqpX0LMkE1UUVRZGwtTlU

Forensic Medicine:

1–> Simpson’s Forensics

2–> Krishan’s Forensics

3–> Atlas of Autopsy

4–> Atlas of Forensic Medicine

Folder link–> https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B3WdpdsqpX0LQXVwOGoyWnFSV2s

Ophthalmology:

1–> Jogi

2–> Jatoi

3–> Parson’s Textbook of Eye

4–> Kanski

5–> AK Khurana

6–> Atlas of ophthalmology

Folder link–> https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B3WdpdsqpX0LOHc5WVZMdkJjX2M

Otorhinolaryngology:

1–> Dhingra

2–> Logans Turner

3–> Color Atlas of Otorhinolaryngology

4–> Maqbool’s Text Book of ENT

5–> Clinical Methods in ENT by PT Wakode

6–> ENT at a Glance

Folder link–> https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B3WdpdsqpX0LaDY2a0lFNDlfTGc

Community Medicine:

1–> Monica’s Text Book Community Medicine

2–> Mahajan And Gupta Text Book of Community Medicine

3–> Bancroft’s Text Book of Community Medicine

Folder link–> https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B3WdpdsqpX0Lc1RCMml2NjhFNjA

Internal Medicine:

1–> Churchill’s Pocketbook of DD

2–> MTB Step 2 Ck

3–> Davidson Essentials

4–> Davidson Principals and practice

5–> Harrison’s Internal Medicine

6–> Internal Medicine USMLE Nuggets

7–> Internal Medicine on call bt LANGE 8–> Oxfords Specialties

Folder link–>https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B3WdpdsqpX0LeEFJNG5TMlc4eWc

Surgery:

1–> Bailey_love short practice of Surgery

2–> Churchill’s pocketbook of Surgery

3–> Deja Review of surgery

4–> Farquharson’s Textbook of Operative General Surgery

5–> Hamilton Bailey’s Physical Signs

6–> Oxford Handbook of Clinical Surgery

7–> Schwartz’s Principles of Surgery

8–> Macleod’s Clinical Examination

9–> Macleod’s Clinical Diagnosis

Folder link–>https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B3WdpdsqpX0LRFpFSG5hZ1pVWkE

Obstetrics & Gynecology:

1–> Case Discussions in Obstetrics and Gynecology

2–> Deja Review of Obstetrics Gynecology

3–> Obstetrics by Ten Teachers

4–> Gynaecology illustrated

5–> Gynaecology by Ten Teachers

Folder link–>https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B3WdpdsqpX0LMU1LRjFDa1FrbjA

Pediatrics:

1–> Nelson Essentials of Pediatrics

2–> Nelson Complete

3–> Pediatrics Review

Folder link–>https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B3WdpdsqpX0LUkdTQkVuNV92Yzg

I hope this helps everyone, it’s not mine. But has been shared to me and I am sharing this with all of you.

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Fibonacci All Day, Every Day [http://bit.ly/2jiUBF6]

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4 years ago
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7 years ago

The First Newspaper

This one goes to the Romans! They had “Acta Diurna” (Daily Events) which was a handwritten news report, posted in multiple public places for the public to read. It first appeared in 131 BCE during the Republic. Although initially only the outcomes of trials, the Acta Diurna eventually expanded to public notices and announcements like important births or senatorial decrees.

7 years ago

Hit me with a cool fact of the brain!(short if possible?I have duslexia)Thanks!✨

Ok from where you’re sitting right now I want you to try and slowly scan the room from left to right in one smooth motion. It’s not possible- instead, your eyes move along in little jumps called saccades. Now I want you to lift your pointer finger up and move it along from left to right, following it with your eyes. You’ll now notice your eyes no longer move in saccades but follow your finger in a swift motion known as a “smooth pursuit”. This movement allows our eyes to closely follow a moving object and evolved to aid us in catching prey or keep away from predators. Autistic people, abuse victims and those under the influence of alcohol or drugs often show a lack or defecit of smooth pursuit.

4 years ago
The Six Pack Turtle ~ Often, When Humans Discard Their Garbage, There Is Little To No Consideration Where

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7 years ago
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8 years ago
Today On “rules Of English Language I Didn’t Realise Were A Thing Until Someone Pointed It Out”

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theperpetualscholar - Wit Beyond Measure
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