| medium-energy/ medium velocity weapons | handguns, shotguns, low powered rifles (bullets, slugs, pellets)
Handgun bullets - smaller and much slower (250 - 400 mps) |
| low-energy/ low velocity weapons | knives and arrows |
| high-energy/ high velocity weapons | assault rifles, hunting rifles
slightly heavier bullet (600 - 1000 mps) |
| Cavitation | the outward motion of tissues due to a projectile's passage, resulting in a temporary cavity and vacuum |
| trajectory | the path a projectile follows |
| drag | the forces acting on a projectile in motion to slow its progress |
| how much greater is the kinetic energy of high-energy rifle bullet than medium- energy handgun bullet | three to nine times |
| high or medium velocity projectiles sets what? | a portion of the semifluid body tissue in motion, creating a shock wave and temporary cavity |
| The region filled with disrupted tissues, some air, fluid, and debris in the projectile injury process,
due to seriously damaged tissue | permanent cavity |
| The tissue structures that are very resilient and usually sustain the smallest amount of damage associated with the passage of a projectile are the: | Lungs |
| Generally, 'burns' and tattooing around the entrance of a wound suggest use of a(n) | gun at close range. |
| Exit wounds are frequently associated with: | a blown-out appearance. |
| Due to a rifle bullet's centre of mass and energy, when it hits human tissue the bullet generally: | rotates 180 degrees and continues to travel base first. |
| The damage done as the projectile strikes tissue, contuses, and tears that tissue is the: | direct injury |
| Your patient has been shot in the chest with a handgun. Care would include | high-concentration oxygen by nonrebreather mask, consideration of needle decompression for tension pneumothorax, preparation for endotracheal intubation if breathing becomes inadequate. |
| When arriving at the scene of a shooting or stabbing, your first priority is: | your safety. |
| The appearance of the entrance wound caused by a bullet: | may indicate signs of subcutaneous emphysema if the shot was fired at
very close range. |
| When caring for a patient with a penetrating injury to the abdomen, keep in mind that: | the bowel is very tolerant of compression and stretching. |
| ballistics | The study of the characteristics of projectiles in motion and their effects on objects they strike |
| profile | size and shape of a projectile as it contacts a target; it is the energy exchange surface of the contact |
| factors in energy dissipation | drag, cavitation, profile, stability, expansion, shape |
| due to cavitation; depends on amount of energy transferred:
space created behind the high-energy bullet as tissue move rapidly away from the bullets path | temporary cavity |
| are that extends beyond the area of permanent injury; slow to heal, disrupted blood flow and infection | Zone of injury |
| in penetrating neck wounds, air can enter into the external jugular vein resulting in what | pulmonary emboli |
| for scene assessment | ensure police secured the scene before entering, look to make there is no weapons within reach of the PT, preserve crime scenes as much as possible |
