Wound Pattern Analysis and Injury Classification Flashcards
7 cards from real ABMDI practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Wound Pattern Analysis and Injury Classification flashcards as text
The term 'hesitation wounds' in medicolegal death investigation typically refers to:
Answer: Shallow, tentative sharp force wounds often seen in suicidal cutting
Hesitation marks are shallow, parallel, tentative incised wounds often found in suicidal cutting deaths, reflecting the individual's initial reluctance before inflicting a deeper, lethal wound.
Defensive wounds in homicidal sharp force deaths are most commonly found on:
Answer: The forearms, hands, and palms
Victims instinctively raise their hands and forearms to ward off an attack, resulting in defensive sharp force injuries to the ulnar surfaces of the forearms, palms, and fingers.
Soot deposition at a gunshot entrance wound indicates the weapon was fired at:
Answer: Close range (generally within 6–12 inches of the target)
Soot (carbon particles from combustion) deposits on and around the entrance wound only when the muzzle is fired at close range, typically within 6–12 inches, because soot disperses rapidly over distance.
A 'chop wound' is most typically produced by:
Answer: A heavy-bladed instrument such as a hatchet or machete
Chop wounds result from heavy-bladed instruments (hatchets, cleavers, machetes) that combine sharp-force cutting with significant blunt-force momentum, often cutting into bone.
What defines a 'through-and-through' gunshot wound?
Answer: A wound in which the bullet enters and exits the body
A through-and-through gunshot wound has both entrance and exit wounds, meaning the projectile passed entirely through the body without being retained.
Which finding in a suspected drowning victim would best suggest blunt force trauma occurred before immersion?
Answer: Fresh contusions and lacerations inconsistent with postmortem immersion artifact
Vital-reaction hemorrhage around fresh contusions and lacerations indicates antemortem injury, distinguishing genuine trauma from postmortem artifact caused by the body contacting underwater objects.
Conjunctival petechial hemorrhages in medicolegal death investigation are most significant because they may indicate:
Answer: Increased intrathoracic or venous pressure consistent with asphyxia
Petechiae in the conjunctivae and sclera result from rupture of small vessels due to elevated venous pressure, a finding associated with asphyxia, though they are not pathognomonic and have multiple causes.