PERLUKAAN

BERTI NELWAN

The characteristic injuries of blunt trauma

are
- contusions,
- abrasions, and
- lacerations.
Abrasions occur externally whereas
contusions and lacerations may be external
or internal.

Blunt Trauma

Contusions (Bruises)

Contusions are
discolorations of the skin caused by
bleeding into the tissues from ruptured
blood vessels.

Abrasions (Scrapes)

An

abrasion is denuded skin caused by

friction. A wound may be either deep or
superficial depending on the force and the
coarseness of the surface which caused
the abrasion.

Lacerations (Tears)

Tears

of the skin from blunt trauma are

called lacerations. Many tears are
associated with both contusions and
abrasions.
A laceration must be distinguished from a
cutting injury. A laceration usually has
bridges of tissue connecting one side of
the wound to the other.

BLUNT HEAD TRAUMA

Blunt

trauma to the scalp and face can produce

contusions, lacerations, and abrasions.
Battles sign a bluish discoloration of the skin
behind the ear that occurs from blood leaking
under the scalp after a skull fracture.
Spectacle hemorrhage (raccoons eyes) a
discoloration of the tissues around the eyes
usually due to a fracture of the skull.

There are three major types of hemorrhages

which occur in the skull.
The type of hemorrhage helps the examiner
understand what may have caused death.
1) Epidural hemorrhage bleeding directly
under
the skull on top of the dura mater. It is
associated
with a skull fracture and a torn artery. This type
of hemorrhage accumulates rapidly and death
may occur quickly.

2) Subdural hemorrhage bleeding

under duramater on top of the brain. It
may or may not be associated with trauma
and is caused by torn veins which forces
the blood to accumulate more slowly than
the epidural bleed.

3) Subarachnoid hemorrhage caused

by blunt trauma or ruptured blood vessels.
It is located directly on the surface of the
brain.

Pathologists also look for the presence of coup

and contrecoup injuries to the brain to help
differentiate between a fall and a blow to the
head by a second party.
Coup injury caused when a moving object
(such as a hammer) strikes a stationary head.
The injuries to the brain will be directly beneath
the point where the weapon strikes the head.
Contrecoup injury caused when a moving
head (as in a fall) strikes a stationary object like
the floor. The injuries to the brain will be
opposite the point of
impact.

An incised wound (cut) is made by a

sharp instrument and is longer on the
skin surface than it is deep. The edges of
the wound are sharp and are usually not
ragged or abraded.
The surrounding skin is usually
undamaged. Within the wound, tissue
bridges do not connect one side to the
other, as seen in lacerations.

CUTTING (INCISED) WOUNDS

stab wound is deeper than it is wide.

The size of a skin defect rarely gives an indication
of the depth of a stab wound.
The ends of the stab wound are the angles.
The angles of the wound may be blunt or sharp,
depending on the weapon.
A single-edged blade will create one blunt angle
and one sharp angle.
Knives with two cutting surfaces will cause two
sharp angles.
Homemade sharpened weapons may produce
wounds having either sharp or dull angles.

STAB WOUNDS

TERIMA KASIH