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Flashcards covering the characteristics, documentation, and interpretation of wounds related to skin tension, forensic examination, and medical interventions.
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How do cuts inflicted across the natural lines of tension (Langer lines) in the skin tend to appear?
They tend to gape open.
How do cuts inflicted parallel to the lines of tension (Langer lines) in the skin tend to appear?
They tend to remain closed and relatively undistorted (i.e., the 'zipper-locked bag effect').
Why do surgeons endeavor to make their incisions parallel to the lines of tension in the skin?
To minimize distortion and facilitate healing.
Why are injuries inflicted outside of medical settings often distorted?
They are often distorted by the effects of tension in the skin combined with body movement, as assailants do not consider subtleties like Langer lines.
What is important to consider when examining an injury distorted by skin tension and body movement?
How the injury looked before skin tension and body movement led to a change of shape.
What do beveling or shelving of wound margins indicate?
They are clues to the internal direction of a wound track.
What is the general rule regarding probing wound tracks?
Tracks should never be probed indiscriminately.
If a chest tube or other device is placed through a fortuitously located injury, what must be done?
This should be clearly indicated in the treatment or operative report.
Why is it important to document the placement of a chest tube or similar device through an injury?
Otherwise, if the victim dies, the pathologist may not be in a position to properly interpret the features and may misinterpret an iatrogenic intervention as part of the original injury.
What is the preferred practice regarding inserting chest tubes into bullet or stab wounds?
It is preferable to never insert a chest tube into a bullet wound or stab wound.
What can autopsy or surgical exploration reveal about a wound track compared to the external injury?
A wound track that extends deeper than the apparent length of the external injury.