Interpretation of long bones ballistic trauma

Ballistic long bone fracture pattern: an experimental study

When dealing with badly preserved cadavers or skeletal human remains, the assessment of death circumstances remains challenging. When forensic evidence cannot be taken from the skin and soft tissue, the information may only be deduced from more resistant elements such as bone. Compared to cranial gunshot injuries, reliable data on ballistic long bone trauma remains scarce. This study aims to define ballistic fracture characteristics in human long bones. The shaft of 16 femurs and 13 humeri from body donors was perpendicularly shot with a 9-mm Luger full metal jacket bullet at an impact velocity of 360 m/s from a distance of 2 m. Some bones were embedded in Clear Ballistics Gel®, and some were shot without soft tissue simulant in order to better visualise the fracture propagation on the high-speed camera. The fractures were examined macroscopically and compared between the sample groups. We consistently found comminuted fractures with a stellate pattern. Fracture details were classified into entrance, exit and general characteristics. For some traits, we detected different occurrence values in the group comparison. The results indicate that some of the traits depend on bone properties such as shaft diameter, bone length and cortical thickness. The presence of ballistic gel also influenced some fracture traits, emphasising the relevance of soft tissue simulant in osseous gunshot experiments. This study revealed new insights in the detailed fracture pattern of human long bones. These may serve as guidelines for the identification and reconstruction of gunshot trauma in human long bones.

Osteonal Damage Patterns from Ballistic and Blunt Force Trauma in Human Long Bones

Forensic anthropologists play a key role in skeletal trauma analysis and commonly use macroscopic features to distinguish between trauma types. However, this approach can be challenging, particularly in cases of highly comminuted or incompletely recovered fractures. Histological analysis of microscopic fracture characteristics in fractured bones may thus help provide additional information on trauma type and bone fracture biomechanics in general. This study analysed the extent of microcrack damage to osteons in long bones with blunt force trauma (BFT) and gunshot trauma (GST), from both traumatic death cases and post-mortem experimental fractures. We identified four types of osteonal damage (OD). In traumatic death cases, OD affecting the inside of the osteon and compromising the Haversian canal (type 1) was found to be indicative of BFT. Moreover, OD affecting the cement line (type 3) and interstitial lamellae (type 4) was more common in the GST samples. OD affecting the inside of the osteon without compromising the Haversian canal (type 2) was not found to be indicative of either trauma type. In cases of experimental fractures, our study revealed that post-mortem fractures in dry bone samples featured the highest amount of OD, particularly of type 4. This study also found that the experimentally produced GST featured similar OD patterns to GST death cases. These findings support our hypothesis that there are distinct osteonal damage patterns in human long bones with BFT and GST, which are of relevant value for trauma analysis in forensic anthropology.

Gunshot trauma in human long bones: towards practical diagnostic guidance for forensic anthropologists

In contrast to cranial gunshot trauma, diagnosis and interpretation of gunshot trauma to long bones remains difficult and controversial. The aim of this study is to review the published literature on fracture patterns resulting from gunshot trauma in human long bones, and to use the described characteristics to provide practical guidance for the forensic anthropologist. In order to achieve this, medical and forensic publications on this topic were reviewed. Several types of fractures, such as linear, oblique, comminuted and butterfly fractures, have been observed in either the shaft or the ends of long bones. Indirect fractures that are not caused by bullets striking bone directly but by bullet-induced forces to the surrounding soft tissue have been found as well. Some of these fractures are related to a specific context or mechanism which might help in the forensic reconstruction of events. It is recommended that future research should focus on available medical data to provide more detailed descriptions on fracture patterns for forensic purposes. Experimentation with bone surrogates and computer modelling might also provide better and more realistic reconstructions of gunshot trauma in the future and provide valuable insights for its diagnosis and interpretation in forensic anthropology.

Jäger tot. Rehbock tot

Ein erfahrener Jäger kehrte nach einem Abendansitz auf Rehwild nicht nach Hause zurück. Er wurde am folgenden Morgen von seinem Sohn auf einem Feld, in einer Blutlache liegend, tot aufgefunden. Neben ihm lag ein toter Rehbock. Der Jäger wies eine stark blutende Bauchverletzung auf, welche die Polizei zur Spekulation veranlasste, der Rehbock hätte diese Verletzung mit seinem Geweih verursacht. Zudem lag zwischen dem Jäger und dem Kadaver ein Gewehr mit zerbrochenem Schaft. Im vorgestellten Fall wurden mehrere sicherheitsrelevante Aspekte im Umgang mit Schusswaffen und Grundregeln der Jagd ignoriert, was zu einem tödlichen Jagdunfall führte.

Gunshot injuries to the lower extremities: Issues, controversies and algorithm of management

Civilian gunshot violence is common and concentrated in specific geographic regions of the world, consuming a significant proportion of trauma practice in those particular regions. Unfortunately, the state of clinical evidence is scarce, and it is fair to emphasize that the field is scientifically under-represented. In the current review, the authors point out key aspects and principles requiring attention when treating low energy gunshot wounds to the lower extremity. These treatment principles include the following management concepts: 1) Conservative management of soft tissue injuries if the projectile causes no discomfort. 2) Conservative management of non-complete fractures of the tibia or femoral shaft. 3) Prophylactic fixation of non-complete peri-trochanteric fractures. 4) Fixation of allcomplete fractures. 5) Removal of all intra-articular projectiles. 6) Treating as septic arthritis if the missile passes through large bowel (not small bowel) prior to penetrating a joint capsule. The proposed concepts are based on available evidence from the literature and expert opinion. The authors also highlight challenges with conducting clinical studies in the field, given the high rate of 'loss to follow-up' and compliance issues in this particular group of patients.