ABSTRACT
CONTACT RANGE GUNSHOT WOUND
at entrance ●● Stippling/tattooing surrounding the
wound (due to burnt gunpowder particles)—indicates distance up to 2′ range
●● In contact gunshot wound of the head; skin laceration at entrance, due to expansion of soft tissue and skin tearing
●● Abrasion collar: Produced at entrance site (when bullet encounters the skin and indents it)
INTERMEDIATE RANGE (CLOSE RANGE) GUNSHOT WOUND
wound (due to burnt gunpowder particles)—indicates distance up to 2′ range
EXIT WOUND
entrance wound
PROXIMATE CAUSE (UNDERLYING CAUSE)
●● Disease or injury that initiates the events terminating in death
●● Without this, the end result would not have occurred
IMMEDIATE CAUSE
●● Complications/sequelae of underlying cause
●● There may be one or more immediate causes, and they may occur over a prolonged interval
●● Ultimate responsibility of death is that of underlying cause
●● Physiological derangement or biochemical disturbance
●● Natural, accidental, homicide, suicide, or undetermined
●● Procedure established to verify the possession of an object; from the time it is collected until it is offered as evidence in court
ANTEMORTEM WOUNDS
●● Polymorphonuclear cells appear in 4-8 hours
POSTMORTEM WOUNDS
drowning death ●● Hot tub drowning-Pseudomonas infection
SUBDURAL HEMORRHAGE
days old) ●● Chronic subdural hemorrhage (more than
10 days old)
patient’s condition after traumatic brain injury, after which the condition deteriorates
●● Large epidural hemorrhage is uncommon due to firm adherence of the dura to the skull
SCIWORA
●● Spinal cord injury without radiographic abnormality
●● Unique abnormality in children under 8 years of age-traumatic myelopathy
RETINAL HEMORRHAGE
●● Superficial nerve fiber intraretinal hemorrhage is flame/splinter shaped
BETA-AMYLOID PRECURSOR PROTEIN
●● Used for the detection of diffuse axonal injury in head trauma
TIN EAR SYNDROME
●● Unilateral ear bruising, ipsilateral cerebral edema, and hemorrhagic retinopathy
AXONAL SPHEROID
injury ●● Detected by silver stain
●● Antero-posterior squeezing results in posterior and lateral fractures
●● May lead to perforation, hemorrhage, and peritonitis
●● Skin lesion shows vesicles in the upper layers of the epidermis
●● Abrasion, ecchymosis, and laceration: Blunt force injury
●● Incision: Sharp force injury that is longer than it is deep
●● Stab wound: Sharp force injury that is deeper than it is long
●● Neonaticide: Killing of an infant within 28 days of birth
●● X-ray (Faxitron): Diagnoses the putrefactive gases in soft tissue of decomposed abandoned dead children
●● Pattern injuries: Fly swatter, belt, and so on, are continuous injuries and are indicative of abuse
