Perimortem Conditions: Trauma Flashcards
Trauma
Subcategory of pathology
Manner of death (6)
- natural
- accidental
- suicide
- homicide
- pending
- undetermined
Fracture
Complete (break) discontinuity
Infraction
Incomplete break
Pathological fracture
Occur because bone is weakened by disease
Stress fracture
Caused by overuse
Fatigue fracture
Occur when bones are exposed to intermittent stress over long period of time
Traumatic fracture
Occur due to an outside force
Fracture type: simple
Clean, no skin break
Fracture type: compound
Broken bone protrudes through skin
Fracture type: comminuted
Bone fragmented into multiple pieces
Fracture type: compression
Result of crushing
Fracture type: hinge
Fractured area still attached, but meeting at an angle
Fracture type: depression
Bone pushed inward
Fracture type: Impacted
Bone fragments pushed together
Fracture type: spiral
Twisting break
Fracture type: greenstick
Incomplete break (more common in children)
Fracture type: radiating
Lines that curve away from point of impact (gun shot wound)
Fracture type: concentric
Rings around point of impact (like ripples)
Characteristics of forces causing trauma
- direction
- speed
- focus
Alteration
Any change to the physical properties of bone
Fracture type: tension
“Stretching of bone”
Magnitude
Amount of force applied to bone
Dynamic loading
Force that is applied suddenly at relatively high speed
Static loading
Force applied at low speed, slowly
Anisotropic
Materials like bone that have different structures of properties in many different directions
Isotropic
Materials with same properties in all directions (steel)
Incomplete fracture types
- bow fracture
- torus/buckle fracture
- greenstick fracture
- depressed fracture
Complete fracture type
- transverse fracture
- oblique fracture
- spiral fracture
- commuted fracture
- epiphyseal fracture
Blunt force trauma
- relatively slow load application to bone over large surface area
- hammer, club, fist
- deceleration injuries (falls)
- strangulation
High velocity projectile trauma (ballistic)
- rapid application of force over relatively small surface area
- bullets
- bone does not have time to bend or deform
Sharp force trauma
- created by a tool with a point or beveled edge
- knife or saw
