Common Misconceptions and Controversies Regarding Ballistics and Gunshot Wounds

Reassessing the terminal ballistic performance of trilobate and quadrilobate arrow points on Iron Age battlefields

In the Eurasian Iron Age arrow points comprise a prominent class of artifact. Projectile experiments are useful for studying the ballistic performance of ancient arrow points and implications of arrow point innovations in warfare and shifting socio politics in Eurasia. However, when projectile experiments are not representative of past weapon use, they can lead to misinterpretations of the archaeological record. Notable problems arise when homogeneous target simulants used in controlled experiments are not representative of the targets past weapons were designed to encounter. This article explores the relationship between arrow point morphology and design choices in the Iron Age using different target media. Shooting arrow points into pottery clay leads to the conclusion that more blades reduced penetrating performance on ancient battlefields, but a very different result obtains by shooting the same points into thick tooling leather as a simulant for leather body armor. The results help explain patterns observed in the Eurasian archaeological record, where trilobate arrow points-initially developed by lightly armored horse archers on the Eurasian steppe-were increasingly adopted by a wide range of societies across Eurasia throughout the Iron Age.

Treatment of gunshot wounds of the spine using full-endoscopic surgery: analysis of a small clinical series

Objective. To assess the effectiveness of the treatment of gunshot wounds of the spine using percutaneous full-endoscopic technique.

Material and Methods. Three patients with gunshot shrapnel wounds of the spine were treated using percutaneous full endoscopy.

Results. The patients underwent a removal of foreign bodies (metal fragments) at the cervical, thoracic and lumbosacral levels of the spine using percutaneous full endoscopic surgery. The operations were carried out without complications, with minimal additional trauma to soft tissues and the spinal motion segment. In all three cases, there was a positive dynamics in the form of regression of the pain syndrome. There were no infectious complications.

Conclusion. The successful use of percutaneous full endoscopy in the surgical treatment of blind shrapnel wounds of the spine is shown. The results indicate the expediency of further research and development of this area to address the issue of introducing the technique into the routine practice of treating gunshot wounds both in peacetime in neurosurgical hospitals and centers of spinal neurosurgery, and in wartime at the stages of specialized care.

The Impact of Blast Implosions and Bullet Injury on Maxillary Air Sinus

BACKGROUND

Successive waves and generations of terrorists attacked the Iraqis in the years following the fall of the regime in Iraq in 2003, after the US invasion of the country under the pretext of weapons of mass destruction. Hence, the Iraqi people enrolled in ongoing war with these armed groups which led to massive casualties due to blasts and missile injuries.Mechanism of blasts injury can be classified into primary, secondary, tertiary, and quaternary. While bullet injuries can be classified into low and high-energy injuries, the type and severity of the injury will influence the type of management, together with facilities available in the authors' hospitals.In this study the authors aim to compare between the effects of blast implosions and penetrating missiles on the maxillofacial air containing cavities, specifically the maxillary sinuses.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Twenty-eight patients (26 male patients [92.85%] and 2 [7.14%] female patients) with maxillary sinus wall fractures were admitted to the authors' maxillofacial surgery Department in the Hospital of specialized surgeries/Baghdad Medical city from July 2014 to November 2016.

RESULTS

Seventy-six percent of the total bullet injuries affect the left side of the face, while shell injuries tend to affect the right side of the face by 60% than the left side.Direct maxillary sinus injuries constitute 76.9% of the injuries caused by bullets, while it constitutes only 40% of shell injuries.

CONCLUSION

Bullet injuries are associated with more severe comminuted fractures in addition to involvement of multiple neighboring bones and this may lead to extensive bone loss, while postoperative complications and infection are more common with improvised explosive devices injuries.

Wound ballistics of firearm-related injuries--part 1: missile characteristics and mechanisms of soft tissue wounding

Firearm-related injuries are caused by a wide variety of weapons and projectiles. The kinetic energy of the penetrating projectile defines its ability to disrupt and displace tissue, whereas the actual tissue damage is determined by the mode of energy release during the projectile-tissue interaction and the particular characteristics of the tissues and organs involved. Certain projectile factors, namely shape, construction, and stability, greatly influence the rate of energy transfer to the tissues along the wound track. Two zones of tissue damage can be identified, the permanent cavity created by the passage of the bullet and a potential area of contused tissue surrounding it, produced mainly by temporary cavitation which is a manifestation of effective high-energy transfer to tissue. Due to the complex nature of these injuries, wound assessment and the type and extent of treatment required should be based on an understanding of the various mechanisms contributing to tissue damage.