International journal of legal medicine
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Accidental hunting firearm injuries and fatalities (257 cases from 1961 to 1992) were evaluated in detail. Most persons responsible for the accident were more than 40 years old and experienced in hunting, and 26% of the gunshot wounds were fatal. In 77% of cases the victim was shot by another person and in 23% the wound was self-inflicted. ⋯ In some cases more than one factor contributed to the accident. Defective firearm/ammunition, as the only non-human factor, was involved in only 1.6% of accidents. Some aspects of the prevention and the forensic investigation of hunting accidents are discussed.
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Case Reports
Serious complications from active compression-decompression cardiopulmonary resuscitation.
Complications arising from techniques of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) were reviewed by analysing the autopsy protocols of 25 patients who died after standard (Std) CPR and 31 who died after active compression-decompression (ACD) CPR, 15 of them preceded by Std CPR. The results can be summarised as follows: After Std CPR (n = 25) rib fractures were detected in 28%, sternal fractures in 16%, and no injuries in 68%. ⋯ In two patients severe cardiac injuries occurred clearly attributable to CPR. In conclusion cardiopulmonary resuscitation by the ACD-technique caused rib and sternal fractures more often than Std CPR and has a higher risk for iatrogenic cardiac and possible fatal injury.
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Case Reports
Radiological findings in gunshot wounds caused by hunting ammunition. An experimental study.
Experimental gunshots were made with hunting ammunition using a dummy model made of skin and foam rubber as the target. After penetration of intermediate targets of wood by the bullets, the characteristics of the wounds changed and their dimensions increased. The morphology of the wounds presented a very varied spectrum. ⋯ The experimental findings suggest that the formation of the fine metallic residues is analogous to the development of the bullet wipe formed by lead bullets. Larger fragments flew into the target independently of the bullet and depending on the distance between the intermediate and final targets. A case example is documented.