Commission forensic-medical examinations at determining the severity of closed chest injuries

Abstract

Victims with closed blunt trauma to the chest often become the object of commission forensic medical examination. The work aimed to determine the possibility of improving the effectiveness of forensic diagnostics of closed blunt chest injury based on the results of the analysis and expert assessment of bodily injuries based on the conclusions of commission forensic examinations. Forty-two conclusions of the commission's forensic medical examination, conducted in the Kharkiv Regional Bureau of Forensic Medical Examination regarding closed blunt chest trauma, were analyzed. According to the mechanism of closed blunt chest injury, blunt objects were impacted on the chest. Modern approaches to the expert assessment of bodily injuries in the case of this injury have been determined. Severe injuries were found in 19 (45.2%) cases of damages with the occurrence of life-threatening phenomena, namely, acute respiratory and pulmonary-cardiac insufficiency. Injuries of moderate severity were established in 21 (50%) cases, mainly injuries with rib fractures due to the absence of danger to life. Light injuries were found in 2 (4.8%) cases, primarily injuries with the occurrence of pneumothorax. It has been established that there is no single scientific and methodical approach for objectively assessing closed blunt chest injury. Based on the research results, the ways of further unifying the morpho-clinical approach in the forensic assessment of the specified injuries were determined.