Patterned Injuries from Trauma
Patterned Injuries: These are injuries in which the physical characteristics of the wound match the object that cause them. They can be present in all types of injuries: This month’s…
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Multiple Injuries in Blunt Force Trauma
Multiple Injuries: You can see multiple types of blunt force injuries caused by the same mechanism and in the same moment. An example of this is an injury similar to the image depicted, where you…
Abrasions & Lacerations
An Abrasion is a scrape from friction between the skin and another surface. The surface does not necessarily need to be hard, but the softer it is, the more friction is needed. An example of…
Bruises & Dating of Them
Contusion: This is a bruise and is caused by an impact with a hard object or pressure that causes the blood vessels under the skin to burst and blood to leak out into the cellular…
Strangulation – how it’s done
Carotid Restraint, Manual Strangulation, Ligature Strangulation and Hanging all have different mechanisms and different symptoms and time to unconsciousness. Read about each type here.
Can you strangle someone and not leave a mark?
There may be absolutely no outward physical sign of the strangulation. Approximately 50% of documented cases exhibit no visible injury. An additional 35% have injuries that are too minor to photograph. (Training Institute on Strangulation…
Petechiae, Larynx, Trachea – Oh my!
What is the difference between strangulation, choking and suffocation? Find out on our blog post here.
What do you know about strangulation? A few facts
Abusers do not always understand the medical severity of the act of strangulation Lethality is based on duration, quantity and surface area of applied force
Trauma In Pregnancy
Trauma is the leading cause of pregnancy-associated maternal deaths in the United States. Motor vehicle crashes are the most frequent, followed by violence and assault. A study done in Maryland found that between 1993 and…
Child Abuse Series (2 of 3) – Abusive Head Trauma
This is the third in a three part series on child abuse. This issue covers Shaken Baby Syndrome or Abusive Head Trauma; the April issue covered Bruising and Fractures and the July issue covered Failure to Thrive, Neglect and…
Child Abuse Series (1 of 3) – Bruising and Fractures
This is the first in a three part series on child abuse. This issue covers Bruising and Fractures; the July issue will cover Failure to Thrive, Neglect and Munchausen’s by Proxy; the October issue will…
Can one punch kill?
I recently read a post in the Portland Press Herald about a man who was killed after a single punch to the face. Obviously, the answer is yes, one punch can kill, because we are…
