Possible reasons for the formation of a stab wound - a fall on a pin, a sharpening blow, a car accident, work injury, natural disaster. Damage affects the nerves, blood vessels and internal organs, combined with head injury, bone fractures.
Stab wound
The wound is characterized by an inlet, a wound channel, an outlet. The entrance is characterized by edges and ends, with a depression turning into the walls of the wound channel. The outlet, like the inlet, has edges and ends.
Description of stab wounds:
- depth exceeds its length;
- has sharp ends and smooth edges;
- during diagnosis, the main incision is noted - from the introduction of a pricking and cutting tool into the tissue, and the secondary - from the movement of the blade in the body.
The structural properties of the tool allow you to evaluate stab-cut damage by the number of structural elements involved in the formation of the wound. The complexity of the forensic medical examination, as well as the amount of information received, depends on their number and variety.
Differences of wounds in surgery and traumatology:
- according to penetration depth, wounds are divided into penetrating and blind;
- by the features of the formation - with possible damage to internal organs;
- by the presence of local complications - with massive bleeding, partial prolapse of organs.
Signs
Signs of stab wounds:
- inlet;
- wound channel;
- outlet hole.
Features:
- form: arched, spindle-shaped, angular, slit-like;
- edges: smooth, with little sedimentation;
- shape of the ends: angular, sharply-rounded, p-, m-, g-shaped;
- wound channel: slit-like, with even smooth walls, with protruding subcutaneous tissue, the depth does not necessarily correspond to the length of the instrument, it changes under pressure from organs and with a change in body position.
Output damage
Damage to this nature is possible with through stab wounds. The outlet opening follows the shape of the inlet, its edges are even, without precipitation, the rim of drying is not expressed or expressed to a relatively small extent.
The actions of the handle, limiter, barbs are not monitored. The ends of the output damages relative to the butt part of the blade are rounded or p-, m-shaped; opposite ends are sharp. The length of the outlet is less than the inlet. The amount of affected hair from the inlet side exceeds the amount of outlet.
Skin tissue damage
The origin of stab wounds is a stab with a knife or other similar tool. They take part in their formation: a blade, a bevel, a knife edge, a sharp end, and with the complete introduction of the instrument into the body, the heel of the blade. The smaller the angle of action of the blade to the surface, the more pronounced is the effect of the bevel of the butt. The wound on the skin repeats the shape of an angle with an apex corresponding to the region of penetration of the tip. The lines that create the sides of the corner are arranged according to the movement of the blade and the bevel of the butt.
Formation phases:
- in the phase of introduction of the blade, tension and compression of the tissues under the influence of the tip occurs, and then, with the extraction of the guns, their cutting under the tip and rupture;
- cutting of tissues along the line of movement of the blade from the side of the sharp edge and the simultaneous displacement of tissues with a gap upon contact with the butt;
- when removing the blade, the clarity of the cutting action is minimal if the extraction path repeats the immersion area of the wound gun;
- the length of the formed wound maximally corresponds to the width of the blade in the area of immersion;
- when removing the tool of damage with emphasis on the blade, its cutting action is more pronounced with the formation of an additional incision;
- the direction of the additional section merges with the main one, if there was no rotation around the longitudinal axis and the body of the victim was static - the length of the wound differs from the width of the blade at the mark of its introduction;
- in the presence of rotational movement with the blade removed and the position of the injured, the primary and secondary sections do not match.
Muscles and organs
With respect to skeletal muscles, the shape of a stab wound depends on the trajectory of damage relative to muscle fibers. Wounds, the length of which is parallel to the bundles of muscle tissue, are slit-shaped.
If the arrangement is transverse or oblique, the wound is fusiform, oval with contraction of the crossed muscles. The relief of damage to internal organs can determine the nature and mechanism of action of a damaging weapon. The dense texture of the tissues allows us to evaluate the features of the movement of the pickaxe, its width, the volume of the end part of the blade. Heart, liver, kidneys - will show damage with the greatest degree of accuracy.
The predominance of the depth of a stab wound over its length is an unfavorable factor for its healing. Possible manifestation of external or internal bleeding.
Typically, a stab wound to the chest affects the heart and aorta, not just the lung. When killing on the body, many scattered wounds of this kind. Shallow wounds are not fatal, but death is due to a large loss of blood.
In victims of stab-cut wounds of the abdominal cavity, injuries of the kidneys, liver, spleen, and intestines are often observed. The complexity of the diagnosis of these organs is that the victims have injuries to the chest, head, lose consciousness, they have a severe shock or have alcohol intoxication.
First aid
If injured, first aid will prevent complications and consequences, save the life of the victim. But medical care in the case of a stab wound should be provided taking into account the classification of damage and be combined with further actions.
Stages of help:
- treat damage and abrasions with an antiseptic, especially with infection;
- avoid touching the wound with your hands to prevent re-infection;
- foreign bodies that have penetrated into tissues cannot be removed on their own - this is dangerous because of the risk of infection;
- apply a sterile dressing to the wound, providing the wounded area with complete rest;
- take the victim to the medical center for a professional examination;
- first aid should be performed within the first minutes after injury, otherwise the risk of death is high.
Rules for applying a bandage dressing:
- settle down on the side of the damaged area of the victim;
- applying a bandage dressing, place the damaged area on the roller;
- cut and remove clothes from the victim;
- start bandaging from the periphery and strengthening moves.
In case of damage with prolapse of internal organs, they must not be placed back. The injury site should be covered with a clean dressing and reported to medical personnel. In case of profuse blood loss, a pressure bandage is applied until the patient arrives at the medical facility.
Tourniquet overlay
Harnesses can be constructed from improvised means: towels, scarf, belt.
Instructions for using the harness:
- apply a tourniquet above the damage level at a distance of 7 cm;
- the injured limb must be raised;
- on the injured area, you must first put the fabric;
- attraction of the tourniquet - until the bleeding stops;
- a shred of paper should be placed under the tourniquet indicating the time of clamping of the vessels;
- it is permissible to wear the tourniquet for up to two hours in the warm season and up to an hour in the cold season;
- take care of the nutrition of the limbs with intact vessels;
- loosen the tourniquet briefly, renewing its pressure.
Contour bandages, corsets, chain mail, and other cotton-gauze forms are in demand. First aid is provided as quickly as possible and without panic. In a restless state, there is a risk of doing more harm. Waiting for the arrival of health workers, you need to observe the patient’s breathing and heartbeat with readiness to resuscitate when he stops - artificial respiration, massage.