Weapon-related craniocerebral wounds in peacetime. Injuries of small domestic animals from firearms, pneumatic and traumatic weapons Injuries from pneumatic weapons
They are quite popular for amateur shooting or as a self-defense weapon.
This is facilitated by the fact that pneumatics are relatively easy to buy. It is worth noting that any weapon requires certain skills and knowledge for normal use.
For example, a shot from a short distance may well kill a person. At the same time, you can easily go to prison for several years.
Moreover, according to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, more people die from air guns than from hunting rifles. In most cases, this occurs due to malicious intent, and not due to unsuccessful self-defense.
An air pistol does not need (if the muzzle energy of the air gun is less than 7.5 J). Due to the lack of difficulties when purchasing pneumatic guns, such a pistol is purchased not only by ordinary people for self-defense, but also by criminals to commit attacks or murder.
The effectiveness of pneumatics for self-defense
According to research, even a few rubber bullets cannot always stop an attacker.
This may be due to the long distance or low power of the traumatic weapon model.
The attacker's outer clothing also reduces the effect of shots. Moreover, each painful blow can only anger the attacker, which will only lead to a worsening of the situation.
There are not many cases recorded when victims managed to fight off criminals with the help of traumatic weapons. But in the case of an air pistol, the chance of fighting off an attacking person is much higher.
However, attacks often occur at night in dimly lit places, so it is very difficult for the defending person to hit the attacker, and defense with a weapon can provoke the attacker to use another type of weapon, for example, or a traumatic pistol.
It’s worth visiting a special shooting range at least once every few months to learn how to shoot with a pneumatic gun.
Such periodic training will help you feel more confident when you need to use a pistol.
In addition, shooting accuracy will improve.
This will increase the likelihood of hitting the attacker, but will greatly reduce the chance of causing injury to him, which will lead to death.
Take into account: if it becomes necessary to use an air pistol, it is best to aim at the legs.
If hitting this part of the body does not produce results or it is protected by thick clothing, you need to aim at the hands. The main goal of self-defense is to cause a traumatic shock in the attacker due to injury, but not to cause severe harm.
The most dangerous areas of the body - diagram
There are several areas of the human body that if struck by an air gun (especially from a short distance) can result in serious injury or death:
- Eyes.
A shot in the eye can seriously injure this organ, and this damage can lead to blindness. - Temple.
A hit to the temple with any object can lead to death. - Heart.
A strong point blow to this area can cause cardiac arrest.
You should avoid getting into these areas of the body, as the consequences can be very serious.
In any case, before using an air gun, you need to try to assess the situation and try to do without a weapon.
For example, you can start hitting the wheels of cars standing nearby. This will cause the sound alarm to sound, which will attract attention and the attacker may be afraid to attack.
Therefore, an air pistol is dangerous! The use of air guns can very well be fatal.
Therefore, you cannot treat him as a simple “scarecrow”. Training at a shooting range will help increase shooting efficiency and reduce the likelihood of accidentally killing an attacker.
Watch the video, which explains what injuries and wounds a pneumatic weapon can cause to a person and what factors the damage caused depends on:
Publication in electronic media: 06/18/2013 under
Publication in print media: Current issues of medical and forensic examination: current state and development prospects. Scientific and practical materials. conf., dedicated 50th anniversary of MKO BSME Moscow. region, Moscow 2013
State Budgetary Educational Institution of Higher Professional Education of the Far Eastern State Medical University of the Ministry of Health of Russia, Khabarovsk
Currently, pneumatic weapons with high destructive properties have become widespread among the population. Modern legislation defines an air gun as “a weapon designed to hit a target at a distance with a projectile that receives directional movement due to the energy of compressed, liquefied or solidified gas.” Currently, air guns are divided according to their operating principle, muzzle energy and caliber. In terms of muzzle energy and caliber, the following groups are of interest: over 7.5 to 25 J, k. 4.5; 5.0; 5.5; 6.35 mm – for sports and hunting, requires a Ministry of Internal Affairs license and registration; from 25 J and above, of any caliber - for sports and hunting; in Russia, circulation is prohibited by law.
Accidents do occur when low-power air guns are handled carelessly. However, of greater interest to forensic experts are modern long-barreled pneumatic weapons equipped with lead bullets with an initial speed above 140 m/s, with high destructive energy, up to inflicting a fatal wound. In such cases, the need for differential diagnosis from gunshot wounds is assumed.
In our country, the most common calibers for air rifles are 4.5mm (.177), 5.5mm (.22), less often 6.35mm (.25) and even more exotic 7.62mm (.30), 9mm (.357), 11.45mm (.45), 12.7mm (.50). Bullets have a certain configuration.
For shooting from air rifles, “lead” ones are used (in the manufacture
0.8-1.5% antimony is added to increase the hardness and reduce the viscosity of lead) of a bullet of the appropriate caliber. The design of the rifling is designed for subsonic bullet speed, so the increase in bullet energy occurs due to an increase in bullet mass and caliber. If the initial speed of the bullet increases excessively, it breaks off the rifling, and shooting accuracy drops sharply.
Comparison of the speed of buckshot with the speed of a bullet (Table 1) from a pneumatic weapon with high kinetic energy (over 25 J) (with comparable projectile calibers) when fired from a hunting weapon establishes their practical identity. With a slight predominance of buckshot speed and projectile energy at the muzzle level (0 meters) when flying over a longer distance (up to 70 meters), the same indicators increase for pneumatic bullets of approximate sizes. Therefore, the damaging properties of such charges will be comparable to damage from firearms, incl. shot or grapeshot charge.
Table 1 Comparison of the energy of one buckshot (caliber 5.25; 6.2) from firearms and pneumatic bullets (caliber 5.5; 6.35)
The passage of high kinetic energy airgun bullets through a gelatin block has a significant direct and lateral environmental impact, which is especially pronounced for high-stopping hollow point projectiles.
It is noted that the initial speed of a bullet with a diameter of 4.5 mm when fired from rifles of the RSR system reaches 350 m/s. The study of damage from long-barreled pneumatic weapons (sporting and hunting pneumatic weapons) with a muzzle energy of more than 16 J (magnum class), which after simple “handicraft modifications” acquires higher damaging properties with high kinetic energy (over 25 J), is becoming increasingly relevant. In this case, the energy and speed of the projectile reach a level of damage comparable to damage from a firearm.
According to our observations, using the S046 chronograph to measure the initial bullet speed, the Diana 350 magnum air rifle, when fired with Baracuda bullets of 4.5 mm, weighing 0.69 g, demonstrates the initial bullet speed V 0 = 280 m/s, bullet energy = 27.1 J. The EDgun Matador air rifle, when fired with JSB 5.52 mm bullets weighing 1.17 g, demonstrates an initial bullet speed V 0 = 295 m/s, bullet energy = 51 J.
Results of the experiment in case of damage to the obstacle: After shots from a distance of 1.0 - 3.0 meters. High damaging properties of the bullet were noted when fired at boards, plywood, and timber. In a 20 mm board, when shot from a distance of 3.0 m, the damage appears as a through defect with rounded entrance holes, about 3x4 mm in diameter with relatively smooth edges, and an intermittent abrasion belt of about 1.0 mm. When shot through the tissue, there is a pronounced funnel-shaped depression in the entrance area. Exit holes are an irregularly shaped defect measuring about 4x5 mm, a wood flake up to 20x5 mm. Damage on 8 mm plywood has a similar appearance, with a more pronounced flake at the exit. Of interest is the damage on the bullet catcher (150 mm wooden beam) when a bullet exits the soft tissues of the biomanikin (damage from 3.0 m) with low kinetic energy. Crinkling of wood fibers is noted in areas of 6x4 mm, to a depth of 2-3 mm.
Fig.1. Inlet on synthetic fabric
Fig.2. Entry hole on denim
Experiment results for tissue damage: After shots from a distance of 1.0 - 3.0 meters. In synthetic fabric, the entrance hole is about 3x2 mm in size with uneven edges, radial tears are noted (up to 5); with a “tissue defect” in the center (Fig. 1). On denim, the entrance hole measures from 3.5x4 to 4x5 mm with uneven edges, radial tears (35), with a “fabric defect” in the center (Fig. 2).
The area where the bullet exits, when the affected area is tightly pressed against the bullet catcher, appears on the intact tissue as an area of flattened threads with fixed hair from the corpse, on an area of 3.0x3.5 mm. If the pressure is not pressed tightly, a breakthrough of the tissue at the exit is observed, sometimes with the bullet being fixed in the threads of the exit hole.
Fig.3. Bullet after passing through the soft tissue of the thigh
Fig.4. Bullet piercing the frontal bone of a deer's head
Results of the experiment when studying the degree of deformation of bullets: After shots from a distance of 1.0 - 3.0 meters. Minimal deformation of bullets was observed when passing through an array (14-16 cm) of soft tissue of a biomannequin (Fig. 3). Pronounced deformation with fragmentation of bullets was revealed during experimental shooting of biological objects with relatively thick flat bones (Fig. 4). Particles of soft tissue and bone are detected on the bullets. When damaging non-biological objects, the maximum deformation was observed when shooting into 8 mm plywood, and to a lesser extent into 20 mm boards.
conclusions
- Damage from pneumatic weapons with significant muzzle energy (from 25 J) poses a high threat when affecting various areas of the human body with the formation of through and penetrating wounds with damage to internal organs, damage to the flat bones of the human skeleton.
- In terms of their nature, depth, and damaging properties, the damage described above differs from low-power pneumatic weapons previously studied.
- Based on macroscopic characteristics, distinguishing injuries from pneumatic weapons with high damaging properties from firearms presents significant difficulties and requires detailed study.
- Minimal deformation of bullets is observed when passing through soft tissue, which makes it possible to determine the type of bullet and the nature of the weapon (air gun).
Bibliography
- Federal Law “On Weapons” dated December 13, 1996 No. 150-FZ
// Mat. VI All-Russian Congress of Forensic Physicians. - M.-Tyumen, 2005. — P. 55.
On the possibility of causing life-threatening injuries when fired from a gas-cylinder pneumatic pistol
bibliographic description:
On the possibility of causing life-threatening damage when fired from a gas-cylinder pneumatic pistol / Breskun M.V., Namakonov A.I., Maltsev S.V. // Mat. VI All-Russian Congress of Forensic Physicians. - M.-Tyumen, 2005. - P. 55.
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On the possibility of causing life-threatening damage when fired from a gas-cylinder pneumatic pistol / Breskun M.V., Namakonov A.I., Maltsev S.V. // Mat. VI All-Russian. Congress of Forensic Physicians. - M.-Tyumen, 2005. - P. 55.
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One of the conditions that constitute human security is the ability to protect one’s own life and health. One of the ways is the possibility of using special means permitted by law. In 1996, the State Duma adopted the Federal Law of the Russian Federation “On Weapons”, aimed, in particular, at protecting the life and health of citizens, property, and ensuring public safety. The law regulates legal relations arising during the circulation of civilian, service, as well as military hand-held small arms and bladed weapons on the territory of the Russian Federation. Thus, citizens of the Russian Federation have the right to purchase, without obtaining a special license or registration, pneumatic weapons with a muzzle energy of no more than 7.5 J and a caliber up to 4.5 mm inclusive. Such weapons are classified by law as pneumatic and are intended to hit a target at a distance with a projectile that receives directional movement due to the energy of compressed, liquefied or rejected gas (which is its distinguishing feature from firearms).
The availability of legal purchases of air guns is causing an increase in the number of cases of injuries caused when fired from them. In the available literature there is information about the occurrence of damage when fired from spring-piston samples of pneumatic weapons, but there are rare cases of publication of observations of damage when fired from gas-cylinder samples (Lotter M.G., Konovalov A.I., 2003).
We conducted experimental shots from a pneumatic gas pistol of the “A-101” brand, which meets the conditions for its non-registration and license-free acquisition. This pistol model is intended for target shooting during educational, training and sports shooting in open areas and indoor shooting ranges. The gun is a pneumatic device in which an autonomous source of carbon dioxide (a cylinder with 12 g of CO 2) is used to throw steel (copper-plated) or lead balls weighing 5.5 g with an explosive caliber CAL (4.5 mm). The muzzle velocity of the projectile at an ambient temperature of 18±5 0 C is 140 m/sec, and the muzzle energy is less than 5 J. The magazine capacity is 15 balls. The number of shots from one cylinder is at least 50. The dangerous firing range is 300 m.
In total, we fired 21 shots into the head, chest, anterior abdominal wall and thigh of the corpse of a man of average build with satisfactory nutrition. The distance varied from a tight stop distance to 15 meters.
The shots resulted in blind wounds with signs of gunshot wounds - they had “minus” tissue defects and subsidence bands. The edges of the defects were wavy with multiple radiating breaks. The deposits were ring-shaped and had a diameter of 0.2 cm to 0.4 cm.
Shots to the head were fired from a distance from a tight stop to 2 meters in the left temporal region and in the face. Wounds to the scalp penetrated through the aponeurosis and, depending on the thickness of the bones, either left a round impression on the outer bone plate or pierced it, the diploe and the inner bone plate with the formation of a typical perforated gunshot fracture. In one observation (when fired from a distance of 2 m), the projectile pierced the large wing of the sphenoid bone along the parietal surface, penetrated into the cranial cavity with damage to the dura mater and was found above the bifurcation of the basal artery. The depth of the wound channel was 9 cm, along its course the middle cerebral artery was damaged. In other cases, when projectiles penetrated the cranial cavity, they were located in the epidural space.
When shot in the face from a distance of 0.5 m, the shells penetrated into the cavity of the orbit without damaging its walls, as well as into the maxillary sinus with damage only to the anterior wall.
8 shots were fired into the area of the left half of the chest of the corpse from a distance from a tight stop to 3 m. In all cases, the wounds penetrated into the pleural cavity. When shots were fired from a distance of up to 0.5 m and hit the rib, through and perforated fractures of the ribs, blind and through injuries to the lung tissue were discovered. In one case, damage to the aortic adventitia was recorded in the form of limited hemorrhage under the serosa.
5 shots were fired into the abdominal area from a distance of 6 to 15 m. In three cases, during shots from 6-10 m, through-and-through damage to the anterior abdominal wall was obtained, in one case with through-through damage to the anterior wall of the body of the stomach. In one case, the wound penetrated only into the subcutaneous fat and muscles.
The wound channels in the thigh area were blind and penetrated into the muscles to a depth of 15 cm.
During the experiment, a decrease in the destructive power of projectiles was noted with an increase in the number of shots, which is explained by a decrease in gas pressure in the cylinder. It was also found that the gas pressure in the cylinder decreases when storing weapons.
Thus, taking into account the experimental data, it should be recognized that there is a real possibility of causing life-threatening injuries when fired from an approved air gun.
One of the types of weapons, similar to firearms in design and ballistic properties, is throwing weapons (rifles and pistols), in which the kinetic energy of the bullet is created not due to the combustion of gunpowder, but due to the transfer of mechanical energy of compressed air. Such weapons are called pneumatic. It is fundamentally different from firearms in that it has a container in which air, forced by a piston during charging, is compressed. When the trigger is pressed, the piston is released, and the expanding air imparts forward motion to the bullet located in the barrel of the weapon. The bullet acquires an initial speed (relatively small) and flies at a distance of 30-50 m. Bullets can be in the form of hemispherical cylinders with a diameter of 3-4 mm or metal caps with a sharp head end and a brush (stabilizer) at the opposite end (to stabilize the flight). Lead balls (usually shot No. 2-4) wrapped in paper or cotton wool can also be used as a bullet.
When fired from a pneumatic weapon, even from a distance of several meters, such bullets can cause severe injuries (brain damage through the orbit, destruction of the eyeball, blind wound of the carotid artery, penetrating wound of the chest with damage to the heart, etc.). When shooting from a pneumatic weapon, the damage is always single, the wound channels are blind. A tissue defect does not always form at the entrance wound; the bullet can act wedge-shaped. Components usually accompanying a shot from a firearm (deposits of powder soot, powder particles) are never found around the wound, which can lead to the incorrect conclusion that a shot from a firearm was allegedly fired from a short distance.
Throwing devices have nothing in common with firearms, except for isolated cases of external structural similarity. Being the predecessor of firearms (“shoot” - release an arrow), the throwing device is currently used in sports (crossbows, bows, spearguns). The damaging objects (wounding projectiles) are arrows of various designs, darts, harpoons, the kinetic energy of flight of which is created due to the elastic properties of either the structure itself (bow), or its part (rubber on a speargun). Damage that occurs when exposed to arrows and harpoons is classified as puncture damage. The wound canals are mostly blind. In some cases, when the arrow (harpoon) is removed, the tip may remain deep in the wound. Damage can be significant, affecting not only soft tissues, but even flat bones.
Introduction
Bullet and shot wounds are extremely diverse. The diversity is due to the different types of weapons used, the caliber of the weapon, the type of ammunition, the distance of the shot, and the trajectory of destruction.Often, pellets and airgun pellets in superficial soft tissue on radiographs of cats and dogs are incidental findings of no clinical significance. But there are also cases that require the intervention of a surgeon.
Concept of kinetic weapons
All weapons that affect the target through fired solid destructive elements are called kinetic. The damaging elements transfer their kinetic energy or part of it to the object. Damage depends on the amount of energy transferred.The formula for kinetic energy is known from a school physics course: E=(mv2)⁄2, where m is the mass of the bullet,
and v is its speed. In the SI system, mass is taken in kilograms and speed in meters per second, resulting in energy in Joules.
The initial kinetic energy of a bullet at the moment it leaves the barrel is called muzzle energy. This is a basic characteristic that allows you to evaluate the power of a weapon. During the flight, the bullet moves by inertia, slows down, overcoming air resistance, its speed and kinetic energy decrease.
According to the method of firing a shot and accelerating the striking elements, kinetic weapons can be divided into firearms, pneumatic and throwing weapons. To accelerate the striking element and fire a shot, a firearm uses the pressure of the products of explosive combustion of gunpowder or other propellant. In pneumatic weapons, compressed gas pressure (for example, air) is used to accelerate the striking element and fire a shot. The action of throwing weapons is based on the use of human muscular strength, gravity, and the elastic properties of materials.
Approximate characteristics of various types of weapons are given in Table 1.
Wound ballistics and wounds
The movement of a projectile in body tissues and the mechanisms of damage formation are studied by wound ballistics. The volume and degree of tissue damage depend on many factors determined by the ballistic characteristics of the wounding projectiles. What matters is the speed of the projectile, its mass, shape, stability of movement, deformation, angle of contact with the target, etc. The amount of energy transferred to the tissues is of decisive importance.In the mechanism of wound formation, four factors are important:
1. Impact of a shock wave. At the moment the bullet comes into contact with the affected tissues of the body, the medium becomes compacted, caused by a shock wave that propagates in front of the bullet (at the speed of sound in the tissues - 1465 m/s).As a result of the direct action of a wounding projectile, a wound channel appears, which is a penetrating gap of irregular shape, filled with wound detritus, blood clots, foreign bodies, bone fragments when bones are damaged, as well as fragments of the projectile itself. The consequence of all impact factors is primary necrosis of tissue areas adjacent to the wound defect area. These tissues immediately lose their viability and must be completely excised and removed during primary surgical treatment. Tissues that have received molecular shock due to the effect of cavitation enter the potential area of secondary necrosis. These are tissues with numerous microhemorrhages and intracellular deformations. The extent of this area depends on many factors. In particular, on the amount of energy from the side impact of the projectile transferred to the tissues, and on the nature of the temporarily pulsating cavity in the tissues due to the cavitation effect. Secondary tissue necrosis is a process that dynamically develops over time, the extent of which depends on surgical treatment of the wound and treatment.
2. Direct damaging effect of a wounding projectile. That is, the destruction of tissue along the path of the bullet with the formation of a wound channel.
3. Impact of side impact energy. It is significant at bullet speeds of about 300 m/s or more. When a wounding projectile passes through tissues, the latter are shifted to the sides after it, and a temporarily pulsating cavity (TPC) is formed, the dimensions of which, depending on the kinetic energy transferred to the tissues, exceed the diameter of the projectile by 10–25 times. The duration of existence of the runway exceeds the time of passage of the projectile through tissue by 1000–2000 times. In a fraction of a second, this cavity manages to make several hundred pulsations, throwing out scraps of tissue along and against the direction of the bullet.
4. The impact of the air jet accompanying the flight of the projectile. The vortex air flow following the projectile draws dust, particles of fur and skin into the wound channel.
Due to uneven stretching of muscle fibers, the wound channel in the muscles may not be straight. At the boundaries of tissues with different densities, a wounding projectile can change its trajectory. When a wounding projectile meets denser obstacles (for example, bone), maximum transfer of kinetic energy to tissue occurs, similar to an explosion. As a result of this, multiple secondary wounding projectiles are formed (particles of the primary and particles of damaged bone), which aggravate the severity of the wound and form additional wound channels.
Gunshot wounds are divided into through and blind. A perforation wound occurs when a bullet with high kinetic energy passes through the body. In this case, the presence of inlet and outlet holes is observed. The entrance hole is small, with smooth edges, smaller than the caliber of a bullet. The exit hole can exceed the caliber of the bullet several times, the edges of the exit wound are torn, uneven, diverging to the sides. Blind wounds occur when bullets from less powerful ammunition hit, bullets pass through bones, or are wounded by a bullet at the end of its life. With such wounds, the entrance hole is also quite small and smooth. Blind wounds are usually characterized by multiple internal injuries.
The laws of wound ballistics apply not only to bullets, but also to fragments, balls, buckshot and shot, but the latter, due to their irregular shape and erratic flight, despite their high initial speed, quickly lose it.
Concepts characterizing ammunition by its effect on the body
Penetrating ability (penetrating action) – the ability of a bullet to penetrate an obstacle. It is determined by the path traveled by a bullet along a ballistic trajectory in an obstacle (that is, inside the target after hitting it). Depends on the mass and speed of the bullet, the type of bullet (geometry, material, design, etc.), as well as on ballistic stability (the ability of the bullet to maintain its position without changing) when moving inside the target.Stopping effect (stopping ability) is a characteristic of a bullet that determines the degree to which the target loses the ability to attack or move. The high stopping effect of a bullet implies, first of all, the rapid incapacitation of the target, but not necessarily a fatal outcome. The stopping effect depends on the speed, caliber, mass, geometry and design features of a particular type of bullet and is most important for melee weapons (pistol, revolver, shotgun). The stopping effect of a bullet is stronger the sooner the functions of a living organism are disrupted after it hits, which directly depends on the degree of absorption of the kinetic energy of the bullet by the target and is therefore most pronounced in blunt-pointed bullets. The ability of a bullet to deform when penetrating tissue is also important: unjacketed lead bullets are flattened and stop before hard jacketed ones.
The lethal effect of a bullet (lethality) is a characteristic of a bullet that describes the probability of causing death when it hits a living target. The killing effect is not the same as the stopping effect of a bullet. High-velocity small-caliber bullets have good destructive power against a living target (high penetration and a fairly high lethal effect), but a low stopping effect. Bullets can be designed so that when they hit soft tissue they are deformed, significantly increasing their diameter, this is done to increase lethality; such bullets are called expansive.
Types of weapons, ammunition and damage features
When shooting from smooth-bore weapons (hunting rifles), shot and bullets can be used. After a shot, the shot charge usually flies as a single compact mass over a distance of one meter, then individual pellets begin to separate from it, and after 2–5 m the shot charge completely disintegrates. The flight range of the shot is 200–400 m. The degree of dispersion of the shot charge determines the characteristics of shot damage at different shot distances. Bullets for hunting cartridges can be round (ball-shaped), turbine (usually a cylinder with ribs or a hole along the axis), pointer (there is a stabilizer in the rear).In rifled firearms, which include hunting rifles and carbines, various types of service and military weapons, bullets with a copper alloy or steel jacket are used. In small-caliber weapons, lead non-jacketed bullets can be used. Small-caliber weapons are called weapons with a caliber of less than 6.5 mm, normal caliber - from 6.5 to 9 mm, large-caliber - from 9 to 20 mm.
Airguns usually use lead bullets or pellets coated with copper or brass as ammunition. Air rifles and pistols of 4.5 caliber are common; 5.0; 5.5; 6.35 mm with muzzle energy up to 7.5 J, such weapons do not require a license and are sold freely. More powerful rifles with muzzle energy up to 25 J are classified as sporting or hunting weapons; their purchase requires permission to store or carry civilian weapons. A bullet fired from a weapon of this class may cause damage virtually indistinguishable from that caused by a firearm containing similar bullets or shot. There are air rifles with muzzle energy above 25 J.
Plastic or rubber bullets are used as a striking element in traumatic weapons. Most of them are radiopaque, but there are bullets made of plastic, which practically does not differ in X-ray density from soft tissue. To increase the lethality, many bullet models are equipped with a metal core. Examples of bullets for various types of weapons are shown in Fig. 1.
Several clinical cases
1. Dog. 8 years. Spastic paralysis of the pelvic limbs with absence of deep pain sensitivity (photo 1).Blind wound to the spinal canal by a bullet from a 5.5 mm pneumatic weapon. The x-ray shows the shadow of a deformed metal bullet in the projection of the arch of the 7th thoracic vertebra. A computed tomography scan reveals a metal bullet in the spinal canal, characteristic artifacts from a metal body. There was no damage to the bones; the bullet entered the spinal canal through the foramen.
Euthanasia. Opening. The wound canal is collapsed, with a small amount of blood. Laminectomy. A small hematoma in the area of the foraminal opening. Rupture of the dura spinal membrane. Bullet and fur particles under the hard shell. Myelomalacia in the wounded area.
2. Dog. Blind bullet wound in the area of the angle of the lower jaw on the right (photo 2).
A round hole in the skin. The head is tilted to the right. Vestibular syndrome. The X-ray image reveals multiple metal particles.
Tomography revealed multiple metal particles along the wound channel. Fracture of the right articular branch and the right condyle of the mandible. Severe swelling with narrowing of the nasopharynx. Fracture of the right pterygoid bone. Fluid in the right tympanic cavity. A small amount of free gas in the interfascial spaces of the neck and mediastinum.
3. Dog, 4-5 years old. Flaccid paralysis of the pelvic limbs. A round hole in the skin of the lower back on the right (photo 3).
X-ray: multiple metal particles were detected. Computed tomography: metal particles along the wound channel in the lumbar muscles and spinal cord; fractures of the L3 arch on the left and right, without displacement of the vertebrae and narrowing of the lumen of the spinal canal.
Hemilaminectomy L3-L4; extensive defect of the dura spinal membrane; extensive hematoma in the lumen of the spinal canal at the L3-L4 level. The spinal cord is lost along the entire length of L3-L4.
4. Dog. Wounded by a traumatic rubber bullet with a metal core (photo 4). This is an 18x45 ammunition bullet used in the Cordon and Shaman barrelless traumatic pistols produced by the A+A company.
Blind shoulder wound. Fracture of the humerus, a large number of fragments. The radiograph reveals the shadow of a traumatic rubber bullet with a metal core in the soft tissues of the shoulder, proximal to the fracture zone. Severe swelling.
Literature:
1. Federal Law “On Weapons”, N 150-FZ dated December 13, 1996.2. Popov V. L., Shigeev V. B., Kuznetsov L. E. Forensic ballistics. – M., “Hippocrates”, 2002.
3. Gumanenko E. K. Military field surgery. Textbook. St. Petersburg, "Foliant", 2004.
4. Ozeretskovsky L. B., Gumanenko E. K., Boyarintsev V. V. Wound ballistics. St. Petersburg, Kalashnikov magazine publishing house, 2006.
5. Avdeev A.I. The nature of damage from pneumatic weapons to biological and non-biological objects. Current issues of medical and forensic examination: current state and development prospects. Scientific and practical materials. conf., dedicated 50th anniversary of MKO BSME Moscow. region, Moscow, 2013.
6. Ozeretskovsky L., Grebnev D., Golovko K., Altov D. Traumatic diagnosis. Magazine "Kalashnikov" No. 8, 2009.
7. Morgan J. P., Wolvekamp P. Atlas of Radiology of the Traumatized Dog and Cat. The Case-Based Approach. Second Edition. Schlütersche, 2004.
8. Les R. Folio. Combat Radiology. Diagnostic Imaging of Blast and Ballistic Injuries. Springer, 2010.
Category: Visual diagnostics