Forensic medical examinattion of living persons in cases of injury of the external respiratory organs

Abstract

Background. Trauma of external respiratory organs in victims is often a reason for the referral to forensic medical examination by law enforcement. The purpose of this work was to analyze the peculiarities of formation of forensic medical expert conclusion, based on the results of determining the gravity of bodily injuries in victims with closed trauma of the organs external respiration, depending on their morphological and clinical characteristics and gravity, to find the ways to unify expert assessment. Subjects and Methods. 183 conclusions of forensic medical examination in Kharkiv Regional Expert Institution, on the cases of a closed blunt trauma of the organs of external respiration, were analyzed. Results. According to the mechanism of bodily injuries, in 171,1 (93,4 %) cases there was an impact of blunt solid objects on the neck and chest, in 11 (6 %) cases there was a compression of the neck by hands or other blunt solid objects, in 1 (0,5 %) case – a compression of the neck by hands and a loop. At the given trauma, modern experts' approaches to an assessment of bodily injuries were defined. Severe bodily injuries were defined in 17 (9,3 %) cases of trauma, with the emergence of life-threatening events such as acute respiratory failure, traumatic shock, mechanical asphyxia. Moderate bodily injuries were determined by experts in the 151 (82,5 %) cases, mostly injuries from fractures of ribs and cartilage of the larynx, at absence danger to life. Light bodily injuries were determined by experts in 15 (8,2 %) cases of mostly laryngeal injuries, complicated by its post-traumatic inflammation. The absence of unified scientific and methodological approach for the objective assessment of injuries of the external respiratory system organs has been defined. Conclusions. When conducting a forensic medical assessment of such injuries, there are cases of both underestimation and overestimation of the gravity of bodily injuries. According to the results of the performed investigation, further ways to unify morphological and clinical approaches at forensic-medical assessment of these bodily injuries were defined.