Entrance and exit wounds of high velocity bullet: An autopsy analysis in the event of dispersing the mass rally in Bangkok Thailand, May 2010

Skin simulants for wound ballistic investigation - an experimental study

Gunshot wound analysis is an important part of medicolegal practice, in both autopsies and examinations of living persons. Well-established and studied simulants exist that exhibit both physical and biomechanical properties of soft-tissues and bones. Current research literature on ballistic wounds focuses on the biomechanical properties of skin simulants. In our extensive experimental study, we tested numerous synthetic and natural materials, regarding their macromorphological bullet impact characteristics, and compared these data with those from real bullet injuries gathered from medicolegal practice. Over thirty varieties of potential skin simulants were shot perpendicularly, and at 45°, at a distance of 10 m and 0.3 m, using full metal jacket (FMJ) projectiles (9 × 19 mm Luger). Simulants included ballistic gelatine at various concentrations, dental silicones with several degrees of hardness, alginates, latex, chamois leather, suture trainers for medical training purposes and various material compound models. In addition to complying to the general requirements for a synthetic simulant, results obtained from dental silicones shore hardness 70 (backed with 20 % by mass gelatine), were especially highly comparable to gunshot entry wounds in skin from real cases. Based on these results, particularly focusing on the macroscopically detectable criteria, we can strongly recommend dental silicone shore hardness 70 as a skin simulant for wound ballistics examinations.

The wounding potential of assault rifles: analysis of the dimensions of entrance and exit wounds and comparison with conventional handguns. A multicentric study

The appearance of a gunshot wound (GSW) is greatly influenced by the velocity of the projectile, where high-velocity projectiles (HVPs) are defined as ballistic agents reaching a muzzle velocity of > 600 m/s fired from assault rifles. The aim of the study is to present and explain the differences in the dimensions of entrance and exit wounds between the most used handguns and assault rifles and to propose a predictor of HVP, i.e., the ratio of exit and entrance wounds (EX/ENR). The surface area of entrance and exit GSWs and the EX/ENR were calculated. 66 perforating GSWs produced by NATO FMJ 7.62 × 52 mm and 5.56 × 42 mm fired from assault rifles were assigned to the HVP, while 64 lesions produced by conventional projectiles fired from revolvers and semi-automatic pistols were assigned to the low-velocity projectile (LVP) group. The dimensions of the exit wounds of the HVP group were significantly higher when compared to the LVP group (95% CI 0.9886-2.423, p < 0.05). The HVP group showed significantly higher values for the EX/ENR when compared to the LVP group (95% CI 2.617-7.173, p < 0.05). The evaluation of the EX/ENR can be considered an adequate tool to assess the type of weapon involved and to roughly estimate the associated wounding mechanisms, which can guide both the physician in the management and treatment of the patients affected by GSW, and the forensic pathologist in crime investigation.

Management of gunshot wound-related hip injuries: A systematic review of the current literature

Purpose

To propose a gunshot wound-related hip injury algorithm and improve patient outcomes.

Methods

Multiple online databases were queried to identify studies reporting on management of gunshot-wound hip injury.

Results

Of 47 papers included, 5 and 14 studies recommended surgical intervention for the treatment of low- and high-velocity gunshot wounds, respectively, and 1 paper advocated the use of prophylactic antibiotics in the treatment of high-velocity injuries. All remaining papers had mixed and conflicting results.

Conclusion

Various therapeutic strategies have been used for the management of gunshot wound-related hip injuries but further prospective studies are necessary to determine the optimal therapeutic modality.

A forensic-based study on low angled AK rifle bullet entry wounds using a porcine model

An entry wound normally carries more macroscopic evidence than found in exit wounds. In addition to common wound characteristics of an entry wound such as an abrasion collar, burn marks etc., large amounts of trace evidences from the bullet and gun such as gunshot residues, powder tattoo, grease ring (bullet wipe) etc., are also present in entry wounds making them a richer source of evidence than exit wounds. This forensic-based study explores the low-angled entry wound characteristics of AK rifle bullets (7,62 mm × 39 mm) on porcine skin. This demonstrated a special entry wound characteristic similar to the commonly reported "abrasion ring" but differs in structure with an abraded area around the entry wounds and more significantly damaged outer margins. A significant inverse relationship between the AK bullet's approaching angle and the length of the external entry wound has also been reported in this work, with each finding contributing new knowledge to the forensic pathology of gunshot wounds. The findings of this study also have the potential to aid in shooting incident reconstructions.